Judge tells Northamptonshire drug dealer he won't go to prison if he stays off cannabis for six months

A judge at Northampton Crown Court has told a drug dealer he will not sell him to prison if he manages to break his cannabis addiction in the next six months.
Northampton Crown CourtNorthampton Crown Court
Northampton Crown Court

Reece Ottaway, aged 21, of Fountains Close, Daventry, appeared in court after he admitted possessing cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis.

The court heard Ottaway was in a car stopped by police in Daventry on September 5 last year because officers smelt cannabis.

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Lynsey Knott, prosecuting, said Ottaway tried to “barge past” the officers but he was arrested and detained.

A search of the vehicle revealed a large quantity of cannabis, worth an estimated £369. Officers also found a quantity of cocaine and ecstasy.

Ms Knott said officers also found a number of mobile phones, dealer lists and weighing scales.

Ottaway said the some of the cannabis was for his own use but admitted a charge of dealing class B drugs.

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Police also carried out a raid on a property in Daventry on December 8 this year and found a large amount of cannabis, with an estimated street value of £1,000.

After hearing that Ottaway had a new job, Hiss Honour Judge Rupert Mayo decided to defer sentencing Ottaway until January 30 next year.

Judge Mayo said: “I want you to come back as an ex-drug dealer. I want you to stay out of trouble and abstain from cannabis.

“If you abstain from cannabis you will get a community penalty, if you don’t you will get a term in custody.”