POLICE stumbled across an “impressionable” teen dealer’s cannabis sideline when eagle-eyed officers spotted a drug deal off the A4.
But Alfie Leakey, 19, was spared an immediate prison sentence on Monday after a judge at Swindon Crown Court heard he had no previous convictions, was remorseful and had kept his job despite many young people losing their employment during the pandemic.
Prosecutor Peter Asteris told the court police spotted a car in a lane off the A4 near Box, Corsham, on September 5, 2019.
As the officers approached they saw three men acting suspiciously and noted a strong smell of cannabis.
Leakey admitted possession of the drug and pointed out where the police officers could find it in the boot of his car.
In total, they found 88g of cannabis, worth an estimated £883 on the street. Interviewed by police, Leakey denied dealing, claiming he’d bought the herb in bulk for his own personal use.
Messages were found on Leakey’s iPhone pointing to him supplying to friends since 2018, when he was just 17-years-old. One bulk text message was sent to eight contacts.
Leakey, of Weston, Bath, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class B drugs.
Defending, Alistair Haggerty said his client had started using cannabis in his teens and had turned to dealing it in order to get “cheap weed”. He had been 17 for the majority of the 10 month period during which he was dealing drugs. He had used his own phone to arrange deals with named contacts.
He was “foolish, impressionable and, it seems, failed to take account of the consequences of his behaviour”, the barrister said.
In the year since his arrest he had turned a corner. He was in work and had stable accommodation. Mr Haggerty said: “He is, in my submission, more mature, reflective and he has the stability and structure in his life to deter him from offending.”
He had no previous convictions or cautions and faced a sizeable legal aid bill.
Sentencing him to nine months' imprisonment suspended for 18 months, Judge Jason Taylor QC said: “It is safe to say the operation you were running was an unsophisticated one and it had the hallmarks of naivety.”
Leakey was ordered to pay £500 costs and do 150 hours of unpaid work.
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