Drug dealer sucked a lolly as he was jailed

A TEENAGE drug dealer had to be told to take a lollipop out of his mouth as he was sent to custody.

Jay Thompson casually sucked on the sweet while leaning back in his chair over a video link into Derby Crown Court from Lincoln Prison.

His hearing was told he had been given a chance by a previous judge for selling heroin and crack cocaine in the form of a suspended sentence. But just three months later he was caught with 80 wraps of the class-A substances, a kitchen knife in his coat and £250 in cash stuffed into one of his socks.

Just as the 19-year-old’s barrister was about to start her mitigation, Judge Jonathan Bennett halted proceedings.

He asked: “Is that a thermometer you have in your mouth or a lollipop?”

Thompson answered back over the link: “It’s a lollipop.”

A prison officer appeared on screen and removed it from Thompson’s mouth, to his annoyance.

Gurdial Singh, prosecuting, said the defendant was handed a suspended sentence at Worcester Crown Court in August after he admitted conspiracy to supply class A substances.

On November 12, Taylor was seen by police acting suspiciously in Chesterfield.

Mr Singh said: “He was asked if he had anything on him which could harm them or might hurt himself and he replied ‘it’s in my side, innit, it’s in my coat’ and they found a kitchen knife.”

Also taken from him were 21 wraps of heroin, 59 wraps of crack cocaine and £250 in his right sock.

Taylor, of Shrubbery Avenue, Tipton, Sandwell, admitted possession with intent to supply class-A drugs and possession of a bladed article.

Judge Bennett activated the entire 18 months of his previous sentence and added three more years for the Chesterfield offence making a total of four-and-a-half years in a young offenders’ institution.