Leeds fashion designer jailed after being caught dealing cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy from car

John Rowe was locked up for two years and four months after police stopped the vehicle in the Seacroft area of the city on April 21 last year.

Leeds Crown Court heard Ashley Tulloch was driving the car and Rowe was the front seat passenger when they came to the attention of patrol officers.

Alisha Kaye, prosecuting, said the officers became suspicious as Rowe kept looking at the police car and was moving around in his seat.

Both men were arrested as the officers suspected they had drugs hidden on them and Tulloch was in possession of £560 in cash.

They were taken to a police station and found to be in possession of cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis worth over £1,000.

A small amount of cannabis was also recovered.

Two mobile phones were seized which contained text messages relating to drug dealing over a three-day period up to the day of the arrest.

Charles Blatchford, mitigating for Rowe, said his client had managed to build up an online fashion brand and was becoming successful in raising the profile of the business at the time of the offence.

Mr Blatchford said the father-of-four agreed to sell the drugs on behalf of a dealer he had built up a debt with to fund his own habit.

The barrister said: "He takes his role as a father incredibly seriously.

"This was plain stupidity and a way of putting money on the table for his children."

Mr Blatchford said Rowe had continued to build up his fashion business while on bail awaiting sentence and now had eight or nine part-time staff working for him.

Tulloch was sentenced to two years, six months.

Judge Simon Batiste said: "It is argued that I should draw back from imposing an immediate custodial sentence.

"I have to say to you now that that is not possible in this case.

"The message has to go out to people that if they involve themselves in the dealing of class A drugs a custodial sentence will almost always follow."

The Judge told Rowe: "It is extraordinarily said to see a man who is regarded so highly within his community to be standing before the court today.

"It brings me no pleasure at all to see you standing before the court."