Heroin addict given heart transplant on NHS blasted by two judges for STILL taking the drug and leading a life of crime Derek Gates, 38, has continued to take heroin as well as dealing drugs He has been jailed for two years after racking up more than 30 convictions Jailed: Derek Gates has been sentenced to prison for heroin possession A drug addict who was given a taxpayer-funded heart transplant has continued to put his health at risk by taking heroin. Derek Gates has been criticised by two different judges in the past year for squandering his second chance and returning to a life of crime. In February, recorder Mark McKone told him he would kill himself if he did not give up his drug habit. Gates, 38, repeatedly managed to avoid community service thanks to his health problems - but yesterday, recorder Rachim Singh sentenced him to 18 months in prison for drug possession at Hull Crown Court. The drug addict received a heart transplant - estimated to cost at least £40,000 - on the NHS in 2001, aged just 26, after ravaging his own body with heroin. However, he did not reform his criminal ways, and has more than 32 previous convictions, including 23 connected to drugs. While in prison, he will be given special trips out to visit his heart consultant at Sheffield Hospital. 'Quite what an individual who has had a heart transplant is doing with these type of drugs defies explanation,' Mr Singh said in court yesterday. Gates pleaded guilty to three charges of drug possession following a raid on his home in Bridlington, Yorkshire on November 18, while he was awaiting sentence for carrying a locking knife earlier this year. Police recovered heroin and cannabis, as well as 46 tablets of the prescription drug valium. Despite Gates's multiple convictions, courts have been unable to make him do community service because his heart condition means it is impossible to get insurance for him. In 2009, he was jailed for two and a half years after he was caught in a police sting dealing Class A drugs, when he was under a suspended sentence at the time. When his flat was raided last year, police found 14 bags of heroin worth a total of £340, as well as £540 in cash. At the moment police broke in to the property, Gates was running to the bathroom and trying to swallow drugs. Ill health: Gates, 38, was previously given a heart transplant paid for by the NHS During his sentencing in February this year, defence barrister Richard Thompson said that Gates had been using seven bags of heroin a day, but had cut his usage to £22 a week. The addict insisted he was only dealing drugs to friends in order to fund his own habit. Mr McKone told him during the hearing: 'If you are caught using heroin, even to feed you own habit, you are likely to be jailed for this. If you continue to use heroin, not only will you spend time in prison, it will kill you. At the age of 37, your body cannot take it much longer. During yesterday's hearing, Mr Thompson said: 'You will see from his medical records that Mr Gates is a heart transplant patient who requires medication and regular contact with medical services. All these matters are making him anxious. He has been in custody, and is most concerned about his partner who is pregnant and is to have his baby in six months' time.' But Mr Singh said he had no choice but to jail Gates, saying: 'This year, you received 24 months' imprisonment suspended for 24 months. The other aggravating feature is you have 23 previous convictions for drugs offences between 2006 and 2013. There has been a wholesale break-down with the probation service with your reluctance to co-operate with community orders.