'Unforgiveable' dealer stopped in Leeds said the £2,000 worth of cocaine found on him was for personal use

Officers stopped a vehicle in the Bramley area at around 10am on May 17 in which Brandon Ismay was the passenger. The driver was found to have been previously disqualified and was over the drink-drive limit. He was dealt with separately, Leeds Crown Court was told.

Stopped on Raynville Walk, Ismay was found to have multiple wraps of cocaine weighing a total of 30 grammes. Experts estimated it could be worth anywhere between £880 and £2,200 depending on the purity level.

Ismay was also found to have £230 in cash on him. The court heard that the amount of drugs and cash found on him was consistent with street dealing. Following his arrest he was interviewed at the police station but gave largely no comments, aside from claiming it was for personal use.

This was rejected by the Crown and he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a class A drug. Ismay, age 25, of High Brighton Street, Withernsea, East Yorkshire, has 15 previous convictions, but just one for a drug related matter – when he was convicted of possession of a class-A drug.

In mitigation, a probation report was presented to the court which suggested Ismay had a “severe cocaine habit” and had accrued a £2,000 debt with dealers and was “under threat to pay them back”. He claimed he had grown up around drugs with his parents both using, but had only been dealing for around a month.

Judge Ray Singh questioned why Ismay delayed entering a guilty plea, meaning he could only receive limited credit and a minimal reduction in his sentence. He jailed him for 33 months and told him: “The evidence was overwhelming so I did not know why you did not plead guilty at the beginning. It is unforgiveable for you, who have been affected by an addiction to class-A drugs to go out and the peddle those drugs.

"You are aware of the misery and suffering that drugs brings. It fuels crime, homelessness and absolute chaos in the family setting.”