A YOUNG dad who sold cannabis to his friends because he had no money after his benefits were stopped has narrowly escaped being sent to prison.
Alistair Lees, aged 23, was caught with £240 worth of cannabis at his former home in Church Meadow Road, Rossington, when police raided the property.
The heavy cannabis user, who told officers he smoked between £20 and £30 worth of the drug every day, said he started selling it to his friends to make a living.
Carl Fitch, prosecuting at Sheffield Crown Court, said: “He told officers he had been on benefits and they had been stopped. He had no money for rent, no money for bills, and no money for food and believed that was the only way.”
Texts found on his mobile suggested Lees was dealing to friends and he admitted selling the drug to 10 or 15 people a day for £20 profit a day.
Cedric Hennis, defending, said he’d suffered a mental breakdown which caused him to lose his job and he relied on benefits but they were stopped for reasons which were unclear. “He went without food for a number of days because he couldn’t afford it,” he added.
Lees was sentenced to six months’ jail, suspended for 12 months, with 180 hours of unpaid community work.