'It's up to you': Teenage drug dealer from Leeds told to change his ways or face jail
‘I’m giving you a chance when many wouldn’t’
A teenage drug dealer from Leeds has been warned to change his ways or face jail.
Jahlil Kumal, 19, received a suspended sentence at Leeds Crown Court this week after pleading guilty to a charge of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
Prosecutor Adam Walker told the court how the then 17-year-old was caught with 33 individually wrapped packets of crack cocaine, of 93% purity, in his pockets and a kitchen knife.
Arresting officers also uncovered a black Nokia mobile phone, containing messages arranging drug deals, the court heard.
Mr Walker detailed how Kumal, of Barthorpe Avenue, Moortown, appeared to have been taking direction from a person going by the username ‘Trench’.
He has separately been convicted for possession of a bladed article, Mr Walker added.
In mitigation, defence counsel Amber Walker told the court how her client was a “young man with a possibility of rehabilitation” and had suffered from a “lack of maturity”.
She detailed how the defendant was ashamed to have “upset and disappointed” his mother, who remains supportive and has surrounded himself with a new circle of friends, since his arrest in November 2024.
Passing sentence, Judge Mushtaq Khokhar accepted that there was a “certain amount of immaturity” on the teenager’s half.
Opting against a period of immediate custody, Judge Khokhar sentenced Kumal to 30 months at a Young Offenders Institute, suspended for two years, and to 200 hours of unpaid work.
“It’s up to you. I’m giving you a chance when many wouldn’t,” he added.