Teen drug dealer walks free from court after dobbing himself in to cops
- 3 months ago
A teenage drug dealer has walked free from court after judge heard he dobbed himself to police - after becoming concerned over a drug debt of just £100.
Adam Brown called the cops on himself aged 17 in 2021 after becoming concerned his mother's house was 'being watched' as he was holding £5,500 worth of the class B substance.
Bolton Crown Court heard how Brown, now 20, had a "lesser role" in the supply chain of the drugs.
Defending himself, he told the judge, Recorder Anna Pope, that he had recently moved back to his mother’s home after getting a new job as a business consultant, and that he had been continually working since the incident.
He pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply and was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activity.
The court heard than on April 9, 2021, police were called to reports of a man by the name of Adam threatening occupants of a vehicle with a knife.
Police attended and found Brown, who matched the description, but found no knife.
Instead, they discovered a small amount of cannabis within a pink bag and two mobile phones.
Brown then invited police into his home where officers found 552g of cannabis, some of which was in pink packaging, alongside an unspecified quantity of money.
Brown was arrested and exercised his right to silence in a police interview, the court heard.
Prosecuting, Paul Treble said it was "clear this man’s phone was more indicative of a drug user than a drug seller", with the evidence showing Brown had a "lesser role" in the chain.
Brown was said to have called police on himself after becoming concerned over a drug debt of £100.
Speaking from the dock, Brown said he had made the call to police himself "to get it out" after becoming paranoid about having the drugs in his mother’s home, which he feared was being watched.
He added that he had recently moved back to his mother’s home after getting a new job as a business consultant, and that he had been continually working since the incident.
Recorder Pope said Brown, of Bolton, Gtr Manchester, was clearly “normally a hard-working man” with a “difficult upbringing”, and that he had been out of work at the time of the offence.
She added there was no evidence he had any influence on anybody above him in the chain and his young age, remorse, and his guilty plea were the best mitigation.
Speaking outside court, Brown said he had "put himself" in the situation, and that he had represented himself due to costs.
He said: “I’m working and I’ve got family, so I thought I couldn’t afford legal representation, so I took it out for myself.”
Brown said he had been offered legal aid at the time of the offence, but that he became ineligible after gaining employment.
Giving his thoughts on the sentence, Brown added: “A community sentence is better than a suspended sentence or even being sentenced to prison."
A proceeds of crime hearing will take place on July 11.
Adam Brown called the cops on himself aged 17 in 2021 after becoming concerned his mother's house was 'being watched' as he was holding £5,500 worth of the class B substance.
Bolton Crown Court heard how Brown, now 20, had a "lesser role" in the supply chain of the drugs.
Defending himself, he told the judge, Recorder Anna Pope, that he had recently moved back to his mother’s home after getting a new job as a business consultant, and that he had been continually working since the incident.
He pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply and was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activity.
The court heard than on April 9, 2021, police were called to reports of a man by the name of Adam threatening occupants of a vehicle with a knife.
Police attended and found Brown, who matched the description, but found no knife.
Instead, they discovered a small amount of cannabis within a pink bag and two mobile phones.
Brown then invited police into his home where officers found 552g of cannabis, some of which was in pink packaging, alongside an unspecified quantity of money.
Brown was arrested and exercised his right to silence in a police interview, the court heard.
Prosecuting, Paul Treble said it was "clear this man’s phone was more indicative of a drug user than a drug seller", with the evidence showing Brown had a "lesser role" in the chain.
Brown was said to have called police on himself after becoming concerned over a drug debt of £100.
Speaking from the dock, Brown said he had made the call to police himself "to get it out" after becoming paranoid about having the drugs in his mother’s home, which he feared was being watched.
He added that he had recently moved back to his mother’s home after getting a new job as a business consultant, and that he had been continually working since the incident.
Recorder Pope said Brown, of Bolton, Gtr Manchester, was clearly “normally a hard-working man” with a “difficult upbringing”, and that he had been out of work at the time of the offence.
She added there was no evidence he had any influence on anybody above him in the chain and his young age, remorse, and his guilty plea were the best mitigation.
Speaking outside court, Brown said he had "put himself" in the situation, and that he had represented himself due to costs.
He said: “I’m working and I’ve got family, so I thought I couldn’t afford legal representation, so I took it out for myself.”
Brown said he had been offered legal aid at the time of the offence, but that he became ineligible after gaining employment.
Giving his thoughts on the sentence, Brown added: “A community sentence is better than a suspended sentence or even being sentenced to prison."
A proceeds of crime hearing will take place on July 11.