Headingley man caught with £9,000 of cocaine and heroin had been kidnap victim, court told

Police found heroin and cocaine during a raid on Nathan Ashby's home in Headingley in August 2019, Leeds Crown Court heard.

The court was told Ashby, 23, started using cannabis and later cocaine and had run up debts with drug dealers.

Ashby told a probation officer that he had previously been kidnapped.

Ashby, now of West Grove, West Park, Leeds, admitted two charges of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

Jade Edwards, prosecuting, said police armed with a search warrant went to Ashby's address on Ash Road, Headingley, on August 1 2019.

Police found a small amount of cannabis along with heroin with a street value of £3,158 and cocaine worth £6,185 plus £80 cash.

Miss Edwards said officers also found a piece of paper which appeared to be a dealer list of names and numbers.

Ashby told police the cannabis was for personal use, but initially made no comment about the Class A drugs.

Miss Edwards said Ashby admitted the offences after his fingerprints were found on the inside of one of the tubs the Class A drugs were found in.

Ashby has no previous convictions, but was cautioned in 2018 for possession of cocaine and being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

Probation officer Mick Berry said Ashby had used cannabis from the age of 17 and had moved on to using cocaine, but didn't pay for it and ran up a £2,000 debt.

Mr Berry said: "He said he had been kidnapped at one point and driven around the area - taken to Halifax - and eventually let go."

Mr Berry said Ashby owed dealers around £3,000 and the drugs found at his home were connected to him paying them back.

He added: "He accepts he bagged them up but not that he supplied them and moved them on.

"The people he was involved with would visit the property and moved them on."

Jessica Heggie, mitigating, said: "He is remorseful and ashamed of his actions."

Jailing Ashby for 16 months, Judge Christopher Batty told him: " There are a lot of drugs here. I'm prepared to accept that it wasn't your operation.

"But you were playing an important role in other people's operation and the operation was to flood the streets with class A drugs."