Weeping in dock ... then laughing outside the court
Spared drug dealer’s rapid mood change
A PROLIFIC drug dealer who cried in front a judge as he was spared a prison sentence was pictured laughing and joking outside court straight after the case.
Shah Haque, 22, broke down in tears when he appeared in the dock charged with dealing cannabis and cocaine.
Handing him a suspended sentence, Judge James Burbidge QC noticed he was weeping and told him: ‘You’ve let yourself down.’
Soon afterwards, Haque strolled away outside court, joking with a friend and making calls on his phone.
Haque has seven previous convictions, which include drug offences.
He ended up in court after police were called following a drunken argument with staff at Bushwackers pub in Worcester on August 10, 2019.
Richard Franck, prosecuting, said officers saw he was drunk with ‘a strong smell of intoxicants’. Mr Franck added: ‘ The defendant was shouting and swearing and was asked to leave. He said “arrest me then!”. Officers complied with his request.’
Worcester Crown Court was told that police discovered he had a small amount of cannabis, £570 in cash and two mobile phones, a Nokia and Samsung.
The Nokia had four messages relating to dealing cocaine dated the day before his arrest. One of the messages read: ‘Sniff deals – two for seven.’
‘Drunk and drugged up’
There was a lengthy series of messages on the Samsung about Haque’s dealing of cannabis between July 2018 and August 2019. One message he received said: ‘I’ve got eight sales for you.’
Haque, of Worcester, admitted at the hearing this week being concerned in the supply of cannabis. He also admitted supply of cocaine, with a plea that he had only been dealing the Class A drug for one day.
He was handed a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years and placed on a four-month curfew between 8pm and 6am. Judge Burbidge told him he had ‘acted foolishly’ and was ‘drunk and drugged up’.
Omar Majid, defending, said Haque had enrolled on a plumbing course.