Leeds men jailed after dealing drugs to fund own Class A drug addictions

Two men have been jailed after dealing class A drugs in order to fund their own drug addiction debts.
By Rebecca Marano
Published 24th Nov 2021, 16:45 BST
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Michael Dunn, 51, of Burton Street, Leeds, and Christopher Mayne, 43, of Bexley Avenue, Harehills, appeared before Leeds Crown Court on Monday, November 22.

On September 25 of this year, both men were seen by West Yorkshire Police officers drug dealing from a Nissan car on Broadway Avenue in Hyde Park.

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Officers searched the car and found wraps of heroin and cocaine hidden inside Kinder Egg chocolate eggs, assorted amounts of cash, mobile phones and various drug paraphernalia.

From left to right: Christopher Mayne and Michael Dunn. Mr Mayne, of Bexley Avenue, and Mr Dunn, of Burton Street have been jailed after dealing class A drugs to fund their own drug addictions.From left to right: Christopher Mayne and Michael Dunn. Mr Mayne, of Bexley Avenue, and Mr Dunn, of Burton Street have been jailed after dealing class A drugs to fund their own drug addictions.
From left to right: Christopher Mayne and Michael Dunn. Mr Mayne, of Bexley Avenue, and Mr Dunn, of Burton Street have been jailed after dealing class A drugs to fund their own drug addictions.

Mayne’s house was searched and a phone was found with drug dealing messages. Both men were arrested.

On October 16, police followed a silver Citroen car and observed drug dealing from the vehicle.

Mayne was sitting in the rear passenger seat.

Drugs, phones and money were found in the car. He was on bail for the previous offence at the time.

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Mr Nicholas Hammond, mitigating for Mayne, said:: “He has a long-standing addiction to class A drugs.

“Following his release from prison in 2014, he worked with Forward Leeds and lived with his partner and child.

“He was evicted last year and ended up living in St George’s Crypt.

“He began using drugs again.

“It spiralled and he ended up in debt.

“He told me that prison will give him the opportunity to get clean again.

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“He wants to put his addiction behind him once and for all.”

Ms Shila Whitehead, mitigating for Dunn said: “He started dealing to fund his own habit.

“He has made progress while at HMP Leeds and is now clean and on methadone.

“He is sorry and knows that a custodial sentence is investable. His mitigation is his admission of guilt in the lower courts.”

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Mayne pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to sell diamorphine and two counts of possession with intent to sell crack cocaine.

Dunn pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply crack cocaine, possession with intent to supply diamorphine and failure to produce a specimen.

His Honour Judge Robin Mairs sentenced Mayne to 58 months imprisonment.

Dunn was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment and handed a 42 months driving disqualification.

Judge Mairs said: “In both of your cases it is to fuel your own addiction.

“I hope that both of you make progress in prison to rid yourselves of the scourge of drug addiction”.