A teenage Kingston drug dealer, who kept his cannabis in his underwear, attempted to throw his haul in the Thames but missed and nearnly ended up in the river trying to escape police.

Matthew Pirotta, 18, of Ernest Road, was approached by plain-clothed PC’s Alex Christie and Karen Adams when they smelt cannabis as they walked past him in Canbury Gardens on June 18.

He refused to be searched, grabbed his rucksack and the sports bag he was carrying and ran towards the river. Pirotta attempted to throw the bags into the Thames, but missed.

When he tried to jump in himself, PC Christie had to grab hold of him and stop his escape.

Pirotta later reached into his underwear and gave officers another lump of cannabis he had been hiding.

He was convicted of possession with intent to supply and sentenced to 150 hours community service when he appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, October 21.

Sergeant Dave Williams, from Kingston police’s town centre team, said: "As the officers were trying to arrest Pirotta he not only tried to throw the drugs into the Thames but tried to escape himself by jumping into the river.

“Fortunately PC Christie managed to grab hold of him stopping his escape and possibly preventing him from drowning.

"To catch a drug dealer and potentially save a life is a great day's work by anyone's standards. I'm incredibly proud of these officers and the Kingston town centre team as a whole."