'Traumatised' Leeds man with 'out of control' drug habit sentenced over supply of heroin and crack cocaine
A “traumatised” Leeds man who was found with class A drugs at his flat has been spared jail.
Neil Chadwick, 44, was sentenced over possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday (September 5).
The court heard that police attended Chadwick’s home on Aysgarth Close in Richmond Hill on May 23 to execute a search warrant.
During the search they found £700 worth of crack cocaine and heroin on his coffee table and in the wall recess.
For the prosecution, Brogan Riley said that police also found five mobile phones and that during a police interview Chadwick said the drugs were for his personal use.
Chadwick has 56 previous convictions dating back to 1997; with his most recent having been for possession of a bladed article in 2022.
For the defence, Craig Sutcliffe said that a pre-sentence report outlined Chadwick’s vulnerabilities and he urged the judge to suspend the sentence.
His Honour Judge Mansell KC said that Chadwick’s offending history - which included incidents of shoplifting and theft - was “the record of offending typical of someone grappling with a drug habit”.
On the current set of charges, he said: “I have every belief that what happened was you either fell into debt with a drug dealer or your drug habit was getting out of control.”
The court heard that Sutcliffe had recently had to deal with the grief of numerous deaths, with Judge Mansell saying: “I can see how traumatised you are.”
Sutcliffe had begun trying to address his drug issues and is “highly vulnerable”, and so Judge Mansell did not give him a prison sentence but placed him on an 18 month drug rehabilitation programme.
He told him: “I wish you well in trying to get better and address your various issues.”