Leeds drug dealer in court alongside his mum after stash of heroin and cocaine found by police

Daniel Rennison was one of two men charged with the possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply following the discovery of dozens of wraps of heroin and cocaine. Officers searching the house in Crossland Terrace, Beeston, in March 2019 also discovered mobile phones containing evidence of drug dealing.

It was one of those phones that landed Rennison’s mother, Marica Gadsby, in trouble when police discovered that she had made attempts to get hold of the device so that incriminating messages would not be seen. Leeds Crown Court heard that her efforts were in vain though as the phone was already in the hands of the investigation team.

Prosecutor Michael Greenhalgh said police were initially called about a car parked outside the Beeston property and found the door to the house open. After arresting 30-year-old Rennison and the second man, they found 19 silver foil wraps of heroin and 35 wraps of cocaine, with estimated street values of £190 and £525 respectively.

It became clear to police that the house had been used as a base for dealing drugs and it was a woman who lived there that was contacted by Gadsby. When interviewed, 54-year-old Gadsby initially claimed she could not remember sending any messages about the phone but later said she had been asked to get the device back because it did not belong to her son.

While under investigation for the drug dealing offences, Rennison also robbed a man of his mobile phone in Leeds city centre. The court heard the victim had been walking through Dortmund Square in the early hours of February 25 last year and had been making a video call. He stopped in the doorway of a building and it was then that Rennison made threats of violence and took his iPhone.

Rennison, of Flaxton Street, Leeds, admitted possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and robbery. His barrister, Eddison Flint, told the court that he had battled with drugs and alcohol for the majority of his life but was now determined to get his life back on track for his young children.

Describing how Rennison had used the last 12 months spent on remand, Mr Flint said: “Not only does Mr Rennison look better within himself, but he looks like a completely different human being. He’s drug and alcohol free and has been for 12 months now and, quite simply, he is a model prisoner. He is thoroughly determined that this is the last time the courts will see him.”

Sentencing him to 3.5 years in prison, Recorder Jeremy Hill-Baker said Rennison must know from his own experience the harm that drugs cause in communities.

The judge then turned to the offending by Gadsby, also of Flaxton Street, who had admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice. He told her: “The course of justice was in no way affected. Nonetheless, offending of that kind is always serious and it strikes at the heart of the criminal justice system.” He sentenced her to three months in prison, suspended for 12 months.