JUST a week after being freed on licence from a prison sentence of more than three years, persistent offender Peter Henry was caught selling drugs in Leamington town centre.
Now Henry (28) of Nursery Lane, Whitnash, is back behind bars after being jailed for three years by a judge at Warwick Crown Court.
He had pleaded guilty to possessing quantities of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply them, and also admitted possessing a small amount of cannabis for personal use.
Prosecutor David Jackson said Henry, who had ‘a substantial record of convictions,’ was released from his last sentence for robbery and burglary on January 8.
Just a week later on January 15 police officers who knew him saw Henry acting suspiciously in Leamington.
When they spotted him again a little later, riding a pushbike and swigging from a bottle of champagne, they decided to stop him.
Asked whether he had anything on him, Henry volunteered a £10 deal of cannabis.
Not satisfied that was all he had, they searched his jacket and found a clingfilm package in which there were eight £10 wraps of heroin and 15 of crack cocaine.
Henry was arrested and taken to Leamington police station where a more thorough search was carried out during which the officers found a Kinder egg which contained a further 24 deals of heroin and eight of crack.
And at Henry’s home they found ‘drug paraphernalia’ and a list of names believed to be a ‘dealer’s list.’
Mr Jackson added that Henry had 45 previous convictions for 98 offences, mainly of dishonesty including burglary and robbery.
Jamie Strong, defending, said they were ‘relatively small quantities’ of the two class A drugs.
And Judge Richard Griffith-Jones commented: “What I infer, if he has only been at liberty for a week, is that he has been given that stock to sell by someone else – but he’s a pretty enthusiastic street dealer.”
Jailing Henry, Judge Griffith-Jones told him: “You are still a young man, and you have been in trouble on a large number of occasions previously, but not for this type of offence.
“You had only been out of prison for a week when you were caught with a street dealer’s stock-in-trade.
“I don’t believe you would have had time to organise all of that on your own initiative, but you played a significant role as a street dealer.”
