Weed dealer found 'curled up like a ball' under shrubs in Leeds

Mark Colin Bowling was being chased by officers patrolling the Kirkstall area looking for stolen motorbikes, Leeds Crown Court heard this week.

At around 1.15pm on February 16, 2021, they saw spotted Bowling who tried to make off initially on the bike, then on foot. But he was then spotted in the bushes doing his best to hide.

Arresting him, they found £730 in cash in a man bag , along with 17 grip-seal bags of cannabis worth £230. Messages found on his phone also contained clear evidence of dealing.

He was previously dealt with for the driving matters that day, including dangerous driving, driving while banned and having no insurance, for which he received a 12-month jail sentence and a four-and-a-half-year driving ban.

Bowling, of Lea Farm Road, Kirkstall, appeared in court this week and admitted dealing in cannabis.

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He has 15 previous convictions for 20 offences, including possession of cannabis. Mitigating, Shila Whitehead said Bowling had stayed out of trouble since the dealing offence more than three years ago. She said he now worked as a labourer and gardener.

Judge Richard Mansell KC jailed him for 10 months, suspended for 12 months, gave him 80 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation days.