Cheltenham cannabis dealers jailed

CANNABIS dealers caught with £30,000 of the drug in a Pittville police bust tried to escape out of the third floor flat, a court heard.

Tobias Slender, 35, and Lee McCarthy, 31, were both jailed after they yesterday admitted possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

Prosecutor James Haskell told Gloucester Crown Court officers found two bin liners full of 3.38kg of cannabis, when they raided McCarthy's Wellington Street home on July 23.

He said: "The police executed a warrant on the flat in Cheltenham and inside were both defendants.

"They both appeared to have been trying to escape out of the third floor window of the flat."

Mr Haskell told the court that scales, £5,000 in cash and re-sealable bags were also found at the property.

He said the pair made £10,000 each from the venture, but Slender had just the £210 found on him at the time of the bust to pay under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Meanwhile McCarthy had only the £5,000 found at the scene.

Slender, of Dale Walk in Bishop's Cleeve, pleaded guilty to a separate offence of dangerous driving and public disorder on October 18 last year.

The court heard he ignored roadworks in Kayte Lane and shouted abuse at a highway engineer who told him to follow diversion signs.

Mr Haskell said the engineer suffered a sprained wrist as Slender drove away from the closed road in his BMW X5, but accepted the defendant did not injure him purposely or realise he was hurt when he drove off.

But on May 29, the pair spotted each other in the Tesco in Bishop's Cleeve and Slender apologised before offering the engineer £500 to retract his statement, the court heard.

Defending Slender, Kannan Siva said he was taking care of his three children, as his wife had been glassed in the face, at the time of the road incident.

He said: "There is no suggestion this was anything other than a chance meeting in Tesco and on the spur of the moment he behaved in a foolish manner rather than in an intimidating one."

Defending McCarthy, Matthew Harbinson said he had previously had a four year sentence for a similar drug offence.

He said: "He was stupid enough to once again succumb to the financial advantages through this. He is fully remorseful and not just because of the impact it has had on him, but also on his partner and young child."

Recorder Ros Collins jailed both McCarthy and Slender for 14 months each for the drug offence and ordered them to pay a £100 victim surcharge.

Slender was given a further seven month sentence for perverting the course of justice and dangerous driving. He was given a one year driving ban.

http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk 16/10/2013