A HEROIN user died of an overdose just a week after he started injecting the drug.

Brian Owens, 24, died alone in a bedroom at the home of Danny Brooksbank after the friends agreed to share a £10 deal.

Newcastle Crown Court was told how Brooksbank "cooked up" the drug, which had been bought by Mr Owens.

But after having two "hits" each, the court heard how Mr Owens started sweating and his eyes rolling.

Despite efforts to save him, Mr Owens, who lived with his mother in Lilac Avenue, Sacriston, County Durham, was pronounced dead at hospital.

Brooksbank admitted man-slaughter and two charges of supplying heroin.

He told police Mr Owens brought the drug to his home in Holly Park, also Sacriston, and they each injected themselves in his bedroom.

He said he thought that later he slapped Mr Owens when he could not hear him breathing.

"I was saying, 'Brian, are you alright?' I lay him down and tried to see if he was breathing but I was shaking and couldn't really tell.

"I tried to give him mouth-to- mouth and was pumping his chest."

The court heard Mr Owens' cousin arrived at the house and lifted him into a car.

He was stopped by police driving through a red light on the way to hospital and officers immediately alerted paramedics.

Defence barrister Eric Elliott said Brooksbank had now rid himself of his heroin habit.

He said: "He will carry the memory of what happened forever with him."

Judge David Hodson told Brooksbank his culpability was lessened because it was Mr Owens' idea to buy the heroin. He had been "entirely willing to injest" the drug and had injected it himself.

He sentenced Brooksbank to two years' imprisonment, suspended for two years.

He will be subject to a suspended sentence supervision order for two years