Ageing Leeds heroin dealer admits he is 'too long in the tooth'

Paul Michael Neave was stopped after CCTV picked up his suspicious behaviour on Buckstone Oval, Alwoodley, on November 27, 2020, although his case only recently came to court.

Drug users were seen to approach his car and a concerned resident later told police Neave had been loitering for more than 30 minutes, Leeds Crown Court was told.

Officers pulled him over and he was found to have 48 wraps of heroin worth £500, along with £51 in cash. He initially denied he was a dealer but said he was an addict. He later admitted possession with intent to supply a Class A drug.

He has 24 previous convictions for 35 offences, including selling heroin in 2004 for which he was given a 33-month jail term.

A probation report into the 53-year-old, who lives on Hawksworth Terrace, Hawksworth, said that he feels he is getting “too long in the tooth” and too old to be living this kind of lifestyle, and wanted to move away from it. He has since got onto a methadone programme to wean himself off heroin.

No mitigation was offered by his barrister, Charlotte Noddings, after Judge Christopher Batty said he would not lock him up. Instead, he gave him 21 months’ jail, suspended for 18 months.

He told him: “You are someone who has been entrenched in drug use for years and sadly it’s taken it’s toll on you. You’re now doing well but you’ve got to stay out of trouble.”