Teen dealer caught outside Leeds Festival with drugs and flick knife

Peter Mutuli was just 17 when he was stopped and searched not far from the Bramham Park music festival site in August 2021. Along with the drugs and the weapon, he also had three mobile phones, a balaclava and gloves.

Leeds Crown Court was told that evidence was found on one of the phones that he had been dealing the drug for around three months. He admitted dealing and possession of a bladed article.

Mutuli, of Pit Lane, Micklefield, has two previous convictions for possession of cannabis, and on both occasions he was caught with a knife then an offensive weapon.

Mitigating, Martin Morrow said there was no suggestion he had produced the flick knife for his latest offending. No other mitigation was offered after Judge Simon Batiste said he would not jail the 19-year-old, despite him facing a mandatory six-month sentence for his third weapons offence.

He said: “It would be unjust to impose a six-month sentence given it was committed when you were a youth.”

Judge Batiste criticised the Crown over the length of time it had taken the case to be brought before the court, and that the Crown had been weighing up potential separate offences for Mutuli, but were still yet to make a decision, labelling the Crown’s efforts “pathetic”.

He handed Mutuli six months’ jail, suspended for 18 months, gave him 10 rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work.