Gun-toting teen drug dealer banned from Sheffield after being "wickedly exploited" by gang
“Who better to store a firearm and a significant quantity of drugs than a person who hasn’t been looked at by police before?”
A gun-toting teenage drug dealer found with a loaded pistol has been banned from Sheffield, after walking away from court with a youth rehabilitation order.
The 17-year-old, whose identity is protected by a reporting restriction until he turns 18, was caught by police during a raid of a property in Batemoor.
After entering the property the teenager and a second male ran on to a balcony, prosecutor Mark Thomas told Sheffield Crown Court.
Both were detained after a brief struggle, and the defendant was found to be carrying crack cocaine and heroin in a man bag.
Mr Thomas said officers conducted a search of the defendant’s home, during which they found a loaded firearm stored inside a bag on a chair, along with ammunition and more crack.
“The firearm was originally a blank firing pistol. The original barrel was removed, and a rifle steel barrel had been fitted into the firearm,” said Mr Thomas.
He told the court that the magazine within the converted firearm contained four cartridges, including one in a concealed chamber, and a fifth cartridge was found in a drawer in the property.
In total, police recovered 190 drug wraps from the defendant, 185 of which were crack and five found to be heroin.
The crack cocaine had an estimated street value of £8,380, while the heroin was found to be worth approximately £420.
The defendant pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of ammunition without a certificate, and possession with intent to supply Class A drugs at an earlier hearing.
Defending, Lydia Carroll said the defendant has been diagnosed with conditions including autism and ADHD and is someone who had a number of vulnerabilities.
Explaining how the defendant became involved in the drugs trade, Ms Carroll said he wanted to help his family with money, and had pre-existing connections to organised crime groups (OCGs) after he began experimenting with cannabis.
Ms Carroll said those involved with the groups deliberately “targeted” the defendant because of his vulnerabilities, and his clean criminal record.
“Who better to store a firearm and a significant quantity of drugs than a person who hasn’t been looked at by police before,” she said.
Possession of a prohibited firearm carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.
But the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said he believed there were exceptional circumstances in the defendant’s case, due to his age, vulnerabilities and the way in which he had been “wickedly exploited” by OCGs.
He sentenced the teen to a three-year youth rehabilitation order, with a requirement to complete 25 hours of supervision per week and 72 hours of unpaid work.
He must also adhere to a three-month curfew.
Judge Richardson said the defendant’s recent temporary move away from Sheffield should become permanent in order to keep him away from the Sheffield OCGs he had been associating with.
He therefore imposed a three-year restraining order, banning the defendant from South Yorkshire for that period.
Judge Richardson warned the defendant that he was throwing him a lifeline, but if he chose not to take it, “crime, misery and jail” would follow.
“You would be sabotaging your own life,” said Judge Richardson.
He told the defendant to rehabilitate himself by taking advantage of the educational and employment opportunities available for young people.