A man who suffered from a needle phobia died after being injected with heroin by a friend in a public toilet.

Mark Peskett, 32, collapsed in the toilets in Florence Road, Chichester, and died four days later in hospital.

His friend Darren Lambeth, 34, admitted manslaughter at Lewes Crown Court and was jailed for three years.

Richard Cherrill, prosecuting, told the court the two men and another friend met up on January 13 and had been drinking before they decided to buy some heroin.

They went to the public toilet, where Lambeth injected his friend, nicknamed Barney.

Moments later, Lambeth and his friend emerged, saying to a passer-by: "Barney has gone over" - slang for an overdose.

Mr Peskett was taken to hospital but never regained consciousness and his life support machine was switched off on January 17.

A week later Lambeth, a father-of-two of Westward Close, Bosham, was arrested after he confessed he had injected Mr Peskett.

Mr Cherrill said the dose appeared to have been fatal because Mr Peskett was no longer a regular user and was less tolerant to the effect of the heroin. He had also been drinking, which caused the heroin to have a greater effect.

Pierce Power, defending, referred to a statement made by Mr Peskett's mother to the police in which she described how other people injected her son because he was terrified of needles.