Cannabis dealer is spared jail so he can care for his father  

A drug dealer was spared prison because he is the full-time carer for his elderly father.

Judge Simon Hammond told Jason Clark the only reason he had not sent him to jail was because he cared for his father, who suffers from dementia.

Prosecutor John Hallissey told Leicester Crown Court Clark was discovered to be a cannabis dealer with £580 worth of the drug after police searched his friend's home in Sileby.

Clark, of Jubilee Avenue, Sileby, pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis with intent to supply, between January 1 and October 28 last year.

He was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Judge Hammond told Clark : "I am suspending this sentence because of your father - no other reason.

"You have come within a whisker of being sent to jail today."

Mr Hallissey told the court police searching a friend's house found Clark's stash in a safe.

The safe also contained "a booklet detailing deals, scales and other drug dealing paraphernalia," said Mr Hallissey.

"The female friend was arrested but fingerprints on the safe did not relate to her.

"They did to the defendant. His fingerprints were found on dealer bags and on the scales."

Mr Hallissey said Clark initially denied the drugs were his but then admitted to police he had been dealing for 10 months.

He said he told police he collected the drugs and paraphernalia at noon then stashed them at his friend's house at night.

He started smoking cannabis after his mother died seven years ago.

Clark told police he was soon smoking £40 of cannabis a day then started to deal to pay for his habit. He dealt to friends and people he knew locally.

Vasanti Vaitha, defending, said her client was a man of previous good character who was a full-time carer for his father.

She said: "He himself is fighting superficial bladder cancer and has suffered depression.

"He appreciates he has to be punished but the chances of him reoffending are slim."

Judge Hammond told Clark he had used his friend.

He said: "It is very worrying that you kept your stash at a friend's house to deflect any chance of being caught.

"The use of cannabis has very serious side effects and can cause very serious psychosis."

Clark was also made the subject of a 12-month supervision order.

As he left the court, Clark burst into tears.

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk 04/04/2014