A Keswick man caught dealing cannabis a second time months after he was arrested for copycat offending has been spared immediate prison by a judge who opted to give him one chance to mend his ways.
Fabian Anthony, 33, first came to the attention of police in June when they pulled over a vehicle on the A591 in south Cumbria and found he was the passenger.
Both from the footwell vehicle, and following a search of Anthony’s home, more than 1.4kg of the illegal class B drug was recovered along with digital weighing scales.
Officers returned to the address on September 7 when more cannabis, almost 300g, was seized.
Carlisle Crown Court heard plastic wrapping, cash totalling £2,805 and mobile phones were also found by police.
Analysis of a phone found during the second visit revealed messages from what were thought to be customers, including an apparent request for the drug to be provided on credit; and also an Instagram message from Anthony to suppliers further up the criminal chain asking for him to be supplied.
The total estimated potential street value of the cannabis was £16,900 and Anthony — who was remanded into custody — admitted two offences of possessing the substance with intent to supply.
As Anthony was sentenced in court today, his barrister spoke of a difficult upbringing and of him turning to dealing against a background of addiction, debt and unemployment.
Described as an accomplished plumber, Anthony had the backing of people within a significant support network, some of whom attended the sentencing hearing.
“These were, he would say, desperate acts,” Andrew Evans, giving detailed mitigation, said of his crimes.
Judge Guy Mathieson said he struggled to understand that drug dealing had been Anthony’s only option in the wake of his challenges, but concluded that society would benefit most if he worked with probation to try and stop further offending.
An 18-month prison sentence was suspended for two years.
Anthony, of Coleridge Court, Keswick, must complete 240 hours’ unpaid work and a rehabilitation requirement. “I will give you one chance,” said Judge Mathieson, but he warned that any further offending or order breaches would see Anthony returned to custody.
