Crack-addicted nurse and her boyfriend avoid custody for dealing drugs

Dayna Saddington and her partner Scott Bailey, both 32, were found with stashes of crack cocaine and MDMA at a property in Pontefract.

Leeds Crown Court heard police had attended a house for an unrelated matter on September 29, 2018 and thought the four people in the house were acting suspiciously.

Ian Howard, prosecuting, said that a quick search uncovered £225 worth of crack cocaine in the bathroom, separated into deals.

All four were arrested, including Bailey and Saddington, and a further search uncovered weighing scales and a mobile phone on the property's water tank.

In the cellar they also found 48 grammes of MDMA.

Having both admitted two counts of supplying Class A drugs, it was accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service that they had only been selling to a close group of friends to help fund their own spiralling habit.

But Mr Howard pointed out it was "still for financial gain" and there was a "desire to expand the business" after messages were found on Facebook.

The court was told that Bailey, of Tombridge Crescent, Kinsley, has a conviction for dealing cannabis dating back to 2015.

Saddington, of Pennine View, Upton, was caught over the drug-drive limit for cocaine last year and received a lengthy driving ban.

A probation report into Bailey found that he had been a "significant drug user" who had "hit rock bottom" but had abstained for the past two years.

A report into Saddington found she was a respected nurse but became involved in an abusive relationship before she met Bailey.

She was introduced to drugs and became addicted to crack cocaine and amphetamine, found herself homeless and racked up a £20,000 debt.

Craig Sutcliffe, mitigating for Saddington, said: "She worked through the pandemic in extremely difficult circumstances.

"She knows that the only likely outcome is the deregistration as a nurse."

Ian Hudson, mitigating for Bailey, said that the communication found on the phones suggested they were only selling to friends.

He said: "It's not a case where there's thousands of messages, supplying to people day after day.

"He was in a bad place and addicted to drugs and started selling to friends to fund his habit. He is a different person today."

Judge Christopher Batty told them: "The supply of Class A drugs is really serious, you both know how your lives were trashed by Class A drugs.

"By supplying them you helped continue that awful cycle.

"In the end I have decided not to send you into custody. The reasons for that is it seems to me it was not ordinary street dealing."

Bailey was given 20 months' jail, also suspended for two years, and 250 hours of unpaid work.

Saddington was given 15 months' jail, suspended for two years, and told to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.