US athlete jailed on drugs charge

Disgraced US sprinter Tim Montgomery has been jailed for five years by a court in Virginia for heroin dealing.

The former 100m world record holder had previously pleaded guilty to possessing more than 100 grammes of the drug with intent to distribute it.

He is already serving four years in prison for fraud and conspiracy offences for his role in a bogus cheques scheme worth $1.7m.

He will serve almost 10 years in total for the two separate charges.

At the hearing in Virginia, Montgomery apologised to the Judge Jerome B Friedman.

Montgomery, 33, was banned from athletics three years ago after he was found to have used steroids.

That ban also saw him stripped of his 100m world record.

Another former sprint champion, Marion Jones - Montgomery's former girlfriend - was implicated in the cheque fraud.

She was sentenced to six months in jail for misleading investigators over the fake cheques.