Drug dealer found with stab proof vest and zombie knife after armed police raid Leeds home
A Leeds drug dealer was found with a stab proof vest and a zombie knife after armed police forced entry to his home.
Caleb Masiyiwa, 24, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday for possession of an offensive weapon in a private place, possession with intent to supply a Class B drug, mainly cannabis, and possession of criminal property.
The court heard how Masiyiwa was at home with his partner on Williamson View in Leeds, when armed police forced entry to the property on November 5 this year.
Upon forcing entry to the property, officers found 185 grams of cannabis, a drug dealers stock control list, plus further cannabis in the toilet U-bend and £1,100 in cash.
Prosecutor Lucy Wildman told the court how the defendant, who has three previous convictions including possession of a shotgun without a certificate in March 2020, was also found in possession of a stab proof vest and an eight-inch zombie knife.
Masiyiwa was on licence at the time of the police raid at his property after being sentenced to seven years imprisonment in June 2023, for possession of an offensive weapon and ammunition without a certificate. He has since been recalled to prison until April 2029.
In mitigation, Imran Khan told the court how Masiyiwa had endured a difficult family life, having been placed in care at the age of 11, before living at the mercy of friends and in cars.
Mr Khan told the court how his client was “serious about change” and was determined to change his life now that his partner is pregnant.
Before handing down his sentence, Judge Tom Bayliss KC remarked that the zombie knife found in the defendant’s possession was a “fearsome weapon” that had no purpose other than to cause serious injury and that he has a “bad record for one so young.” He sentenced Masiyiwa to 12 months in prison.
Judge Bayliss also ordered that the £1,100 in cash seized should be donated to the CATCH charity.