Surprise as Kinder Egg Leeds drug dealer narrowly avoids prison

Alan James Quin, who has a previous conviction for dealing, was stopped by police and found to have 35 wraps of the Class A drugs in his Toyota Yaris, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Chloe Fairley said officers suspected he was selling drugs when they saw someone approach the vehicle parked on Lea Farm Road in Kirkstall at 2am on July 7, 2019.

More than £570 in cash was found, while the drugs – which were in the chocolate egg container next to the steering wheel – had an estimated street value of £390.

Quin gave a prepared statement during his police interview claiming he had let a friend borrow the car the previous day and knew nothing of the drugs.

The 45-year-old has 20 convictions for 40 offences, including possession with intent to supply Class A drugs from 2009, for which he received two years’ jail.

He eventually changed his plea to guilty for the latest two offences, intending to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

The judge blamed the delay in bringing the matter to court, in part, to Quin’s initial denial.

Mitigating for Quin, Martin Morrow, said: “In the last three years he has taken steps to ensure he is not in the same position as before.”

He said it had been a decade since he was last before the court, and in that time his health had deteriorated due to deep-vein thrombosis.

Judge Simon Batiste told Quin: “You are a fortunate man today.

"Many people might say I should lock you up because you have a previous conviction for dealing, and you were found out again.

"With some hesitation, I’m prepared to draw back from imposing an immediate custodial sentence but you must understand how close you have come.

"It’s one chance and one chance only, do not throw it back in my face or you will regret it.”

Quin, of Queenswood Drive, Headingley, was given a two-year sentence, suspended for two years.

Under a three-strike rule, if a dealer is caught for a third time they automatically receive a seven-year sentence.