Police slammed over delay in prosecution
CHESHIRE police have been criticised over delays in drugs cases – after it took 15 months for a Widnes heroin and crack dealer arrested in Runcorn to be sentenced.
Thomas Graham, 24, of Mersey Road, Widnes, was sent down for 32 months after admitting two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A substances, but comment was passed on how long the matter had taken to deal with.
His Honour Steven Everett, Recorder of Chester, said he was due to meet the Chief Constable this week and intended to raise the matter of delays.
Philip Clemo, defending Graham, said it was ‘unacceptable’ that defendants are routinely being arrested, then left waiting to find out if they are to be charged, either in custody or released under investigation.
He said they are ‘ real people, with real lives’.
Graham was arrested on July 20, 2018, which is now 15 months ago.
Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said PC Philip Thomason had stopped the defendant near a canal in Runcorn earlier that day, but the defendant rode off on his bike flashing the ‘two-fingers sign’ at the
● officer as he fled.
That afternoon, PC Thomason intercepted Graham and arrested him.
Graham admitted he had drugs in his pocket, and the officer found 20 wraps of crack cocaine and 17 of heroin.
The defendant said he had been taking them from one person to another at ‘Cassy bridge’ to pay off a drug debt of over £1,000.
He had £160.20 in cash and a mobile phone featuring outward bound ‘flare’ messages to alert buyers on supply availability.
Graham stayed silent in police interview.
The matter did not reach court until this year, and he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, namely crack and heroin, on September 27.
Graham had one previous conviction, for battery, which resulted in prison.
Mr Clemo pleaded mitigation for his guilty pleas and the ‘unconscionable delay in bringing the matter before the court’.
He said Graham was interviewed seven months ago and that ‘ absolutely nothing has happened since then’, adding that the evidence was there to charge Graham in July last year, and had he been sentenced by December time, could be two thirds of the way through his custodial sentence by now.
He added: “It’s not acceptable that the police are ignoring this evidence when the evidence is there.
“Young men like him have these matters hanging over them not knowing what their fate is going to be for such a long percentage of their young lives.
“Some higher power is turning the tap on and off for when to delay.
“It’s unacceptable. “These are real people with real lives.”
Opening the hearing, Recorder Everett said: “I’m going to see the Chief Constable next week and one of the things I’m going to raise is there’s an unnecessary delay in many drugs cases.
“These 20 wraps were undoubtedly cocaine, and 17 wraps were undoubtedly heroin.
“We don’t need to put it off for any detailed drugs analysis – just charge them and bring them before the court.”
The judge gave Graham a dressing down as he passed sentence.
Summing up, he said: “The facts are straight forward and I’m afraid all too familiar to the cases I deal with all too often.
“I’m prepared to accept you used the drugs yourself, you built up a debt and were pressed to supply drugs yourself.
“I see these a lot these drugs, heroin and cocaine are the absolute bane of society.
“They are evil, evil drugs, whichever it is, one or the other or both.
“I see also then the effects, the people who take them, heroin addicts, I’ve often called them walking skeletons.
“They don’t care for themselves, all they care for is their next fix.”
Graham was sentenced to 32 months in prison and ordered to pay a victim surcharge.