A dealer forced a Margate widow into selling crack cocaine to pay off her late husband’s drugs debts.

Even before she was able to bury her dead husband, the grieving widow was ordered by a London-based dealer to raise the £900 by selling drugs.

Kirsty Vaughan was bullied by thug Jose Vita into pushing the Class A drug from her home to wipe off the debts.

Jose Vita

Now Vita, 28, from London, has been jailed for seven years after a jury at Canterbury Crown Court convicted him of three drugs offences and one of harassment.

Prosecutor Simon Taylor told the court how Mrs Vaughan, who was too frightened to give evidence - was also a drug user and addicted to crack cocaine.

“In February 2015 Mrs Vaughan’s husband died. He was also a drugs user and had been dealing on behalf of Vita.

“Unfortunately for Mrs Vaughan it would appear that before her husband died he had run up a debt of £900 with Vita.”

Vaughan was forced to sell crack and heroin. Stock picture

After hearing about the death, Vita turned up at Mrs Vaughan’s home “even before she had buried him”, telling her she had to “work off the debt.”

Vita – who was also known as Ritchie and Cameron – told the widow she had to sell the drugs from the seaside home, which she shared with a daughter and grandchild.

“Put simply, Mrs Vaughan felt she had no choice, so she agreed to the defendant’s demands. People then came to the house and she began dealing on behalf of Vita, “ added the prosecutor.

But in September 2015, Mrs Vaughan “decided she had had enough” and threw away the drugs telling Vita she had been caught and the drugs confiscated.

Vita told her “everyone in the house is f***** if I don’t get my drugs, my money. You prove that you were arrested!”

The case was heard at Canterbury Crown Court

She later told officers how the drugs dealer had previously threatened her with a baseball bat.

Mrs Vaughan then went to Margate police station and handed over the drugs – after ensuring her family was safe.

Mr Taylor said she took more than 26 cling film wraps of heroin with a street value of £260, to police and was promptly arrested.

The prosecutor added: “Here was a woman, for no other good reason, had gone to the police and admitted supplying drugs and handed over a valuable consignment .”

Vita, who has previous convictions for robbery, possessing crack cocaine intending to supply it and assault, was later arrested but denied the charges.

He would later tell officers “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and it’s got me mixed up, so therefore I am innocent of all charges.”