A two-year delay in a case coming to court spared a teenage Class A drug dealer a jail term. The 16-year-old boy was found with drugs after police stopped a car in Bristol.
Bristol Crown Court heard, however, that police took almost two years to charge the youngster. In the meantime he turned 18 and it was not until today (February 2, 2023) that he was sentenced.
Judge Michael Cullum described the delay as "appalling". He said if the defendant had been promptly sentenced by the Youth Court it was likely he would have been given a referral order. The judge therefore handed him an equivalent two-year community order with rehabilitation and 180 hours' unpaid work.
