Judge warns of cannabis pitfalls telling Leeds dealer: 'The word is that it's not serious, it is'

Judge Penelope Belcher gave Mohammed Zubayer the stern warning at Leeds Crown Court after police found hundreds of pounds worth of the drug at his home on Gathorne Terrace in Chapeltown.

She said: “There’s a view on the streets that this is not serious, it is. There is a view that it does not matter, but it does. There is now ample evidence that it cause psychosis later in life.

"That’s why it was reclassified from class C to class B. It’s not a joke. If you had previous convictions for drugs, you would be going into custody, there’s no two ways about that. You need to grow up and recognise what you have done.”

Zubayer, 23, was a passenger in a car on October 9 at around 5pm which was pulled over by police. They found bags of cannabis worth around £30 on Zubayer.

They searched his home and found an additional £300 worth of the drug, along with dealer bags and scales. On his phone they found messages offering to sell the drugs dated from April up to October.

Zubayer, who has no previous convictions, admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis. Mitigating, Amy Walker said he was “like many others” that selling the drug stemmed from his own cannabis habit.

He was given a nine-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, 15 rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work.