Student caught with three kilos of drugs at Wakefield home spared custody
Mercy shown for fourth-year university student
A mature student has avoided being locked up after a large about of cannabis and cocaine were found during a raid on a home.
Mohammed Rashid was given a suspended sentence at Leeds Crown Court despite admitting dealing in both drugs.
Officers from West Yorkshire Police raided the property on Henry Street in Wakefield on June 16, 2023, prosecutor Beth Richardson told the court.
They found cocaine worth £825 and 3.24 kilogrammes of cannabis, much of it divided up into deals and worth around £10,300.
His mobile phone contained bulk messages advertising the drugs for sale, along with messages in which he negotiated prices and arranged drop-off points.
Rashid, 28, later confessed he began to deal to pay off a drug debt he had accrued.
He has three previous convictions, including possession of drugs.
Mitigating, John Batchelor said it had been more than three years since the raid and said the defendant now has a “bright future”.
Rashid, of Elizabeth Street, Wakefield, is in his fourth year of a construction-management degree.
Mr Batchelor said: “It’s been a wake-up call and it’s been hanging over him.
“He could not complain if he was to receive an immediate custodial sentence and he has come prepared for that.”
However, he conceded that he still takes cannabis.
Judge Neil Clark acknowledged that a “significant period of time had passed” and said that Rashid was “clearly intelligent”.
He handed him a two-year sentence, suspended for two years, ordered him to complete 240 hours of unpaid work and a probation requirement.