Dealer tried to claim £7,500 worth of cannabis was just for him after flat raid

When officers burst into the flat on Thomas Hill House in Pontefract they found 750 grammes of skunk cannabis, £440 in cash, dealer bags, scales and a mobile phone containing evidence of dealing - but Kieren Pearce denied it was involved in supplying the drug.

Officers went to the block of flats, off Horsefair, on the afternoon of October 14, 2020, following a call about an injured person at the address. They saw Pearce through the kitchen window of the flat but he refused to let them in, Leeds Crown Court heard.

They found the door open so let themselves in, wanting to check on the welfare in case there was an injured person involved. But once inside they found Pearce along with his girlfriend and his girlfriend's brother, Kacper Imbiorkiewicz. Dotted around the flat they found the drugs, cash and the paraphernalia.

Both Pearce and Imbiorkiewicz, who are both 24, were arrested. Imbiorkiewicz, of Buttermere Walk, Knottingley, told police during his interview that he had been at Pearce's flat "sofa surfing" and had known him since they were young. Pearce made no comments.

Experts believe the the cannabis could have been sold for around £4,000 wholesale, or up to £7,490 if sold as individual deals. Imbiorkiewicz later admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis, but Pearce, of Thomas Hill House, maintained it was for personal use. He eventually admitted the same charge but on the day his trial was due to begin.

No mitigation was offered for either defendant by their respective barristers after Judge Robin Mairs said he would not lock them up. Referring to Pearce's lengthy denials, Judge Mairs said: "You dragged this out until the day of trial until it crossed your mind that you might be guilty. You were obviously both dealing, it was the only common sense that could be drawn from this. Imbiorkiewicz, you accepted this immediately, but you Pearce, you dragged it out month after month."

He gave Imbiorkiewicz a four-month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months with 80 hours of unpaid work. Pearce was given an eight-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, with 150 hours of unpaid work and five rehabilitation days.