Trio sentenced after drugs find
ADAD-TO-BE was caught dealing cocaine – just weeks after appearing in court for dealing cocaine.
Damian Jones from Bridgend may have avoided jail had he not been busted a second time, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
Jones, 21, was sentenced alongside Lucas Byrne and Connor Ockerby, both 19, after the trio were arrested on July 28 in Vernon Street and admitted drug offences. Police had noticed Jones on the street with another man and searched them. The officers seized Jones’ phone, which had texts suggesting a deal was about to take place – and when a car arrived the officers noticed a strong smell of cannabis from inside.
The driver claimed he had got lost but officers searched the car. Inside were Byrne, who was carrying up to £3,760 worth of cocaine, and Ockerby, who had up to £560 worth of cannabis on him as well as a small amount of cocaine.
The judge, Recorder Christopher Felstead, said: “You, Mr Jones, have a separate matter which predates all of this, which is that on August 18, 2021, again in Bridgend, you were found to have cocaine and cannabis on your possession. You pleaded guilty in magistrates’ court to possession with intent to supply both those drugs. The timetable is startling. You came into magistrates’ court on June 21, 2022... and you were arrested on July 28 for, frankly, more of the same.”
Jones, of Dan-Y-Coed Rise, has no other convictions on his record.
His solicitor Rhodri Chudleigh said:
“He’s had a partner for about a year and she gave birth to their first child a week after he was remanded in custody. It’s been a difficult time for him.
“His mother sits at the back of court. He was subjected to domestic abuse as a child and he witnessed his mother being assaulted by his father when he was very young. His father went to prison when Mr Jones was a young boy and he himself had issues involving drink and drugs. That was something the defendant was born into.
“At the age of five he was placed into local authority care and he was in care for over a decade. When he was 11 he was found with cannabis.
“From the age of 13 he was taking cocaine, cannabis and MDMA, highly addictive drugs, for six or seven years before he was eventually arrested. He began supplying cocaine to fund his own addiction.”
The judge said: “Just a couple of weeks before the later offence, he was in court having advice that by the skin of his teeth he might receive a lesser sentence.” He added that Jones had thrown away his small chance of a suspended sentence.
Byrne, of Vere Street in Barry, also has no previous convictions. His solicitor Steve Burnell told the court that Byrne is “fully apologetic” and “ashamed” of his possession with intent to supply cocaine.
Ockerby, of Court Road in Barry, has previous convictions for drink-driving and driving while disqualified.
He was represented by Derrick Gooden, who said: “My client is in a different position, in that he doesn’t face a charge involving Class A drug supply. He has accepted at the earliest opportunity that he possessed a Class B drug with intent to supply.”
Recorder Felstead sentenced Byrne to two years and four months in prison. He jailed Jones for four years and nine months, while Ockerby received a six-month term suspended for 12 months. Ockerby must also do 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity.