A former police officer prepared fake drug wraps using granulated sugar to cover up his failure to investigate a case properly.

Daniel Jackson, 28, of Gorse Close, Lakenheath, a serving Suffolk officer at the time, used fake wraps to disguise the fact he had not properly investigated three suspects over drugs offences, who were also found with £800 in cash, in a stop and search in Newmarket, on October 20, last year.

Lynne Shirley, prosecuting, told Norwich Crown Court Jackson seized about three or four wraps of what was believed to be drugs but then failed to submit them for analysis. She said he also had let the suspects keep the £800 cash found in the car.

Questions were raised when an officer he was tutoring found matters had not been booked in and drugs not sent for analysis as Jackson had claimed.

Miss Shirley said Jackson lied to colleagues and then claimed to have found the missing drugs in an evidence bag when in fact he had just put three wraps containing sugar in the bag to cover up the fact he had thrown the drugs away.

When asked about the matter she said he later claimed that he had panicked and made up the three wraps with sugar to take the pressure off at work.

The court heard that Jackson had been a police officer since 2013 and worked as a patrol officer based at Mildenhall.

Jackson admitted misconduct in a public office on October 20, last year and attempting to pervert the course of justice on March 4, this year.

Carolina Bracken, for Jackson, said that he had just got a bombshell text from his girlfriend dumping him moments before attending the incident.

She said that he suffered a “violent” reaction and everything became too much for him including the gravity of acting as a tutor to other officers.

She said: “He was wholly unable to carry out his duties .

Ms Bracken said he had then tried to cover up his mistake by making up the fake wraps: “This is an officer who knows on that spur of the moment he had made a mistake.”

His case was adjourned and he is to be sentenced on Tuesday.