Cannabis dealer caught red-handed by police in Park South

Despite having dealt the class B drug for two years and making enough to have a designer watch stashed at home, Rhys Belcher was spared an immediate prison sentence.

Giving Rhys Belcher a 10 month sentence suspended for a year and a half, Recorder Gordon Bebb QC noted the 21-year-old’s relative youth, the fact he’d pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and sentencing guidelines which prescribed a starting point of 12 months for the offence.

Prosecutor Christopher Wing had earlier told Swindon Crown Court two constables were patrolling Park South on October 10 last year after getting a tip-off about a bicycle-riding drug dealer in the area.

They spotted him emerge from a house in Hazlemere Close and shouted at him to stop. One of the officers gave chase and spotted Belcher toss a Puma man bag into a bush. Belcher stopped fleeing when he heard a police dog would be released.

Inside the Puma bag was around 34g of cannabis in 24 snap bags and £400 in cash. They searched his home, unearthing more cannabis, cash, digital scales, plastic “snap” bags and an Armani Exchange watch. In total, they discovered £1,055 cash.

Interviewed by police, Belcher candidly confessed to what he’d been doing. He said he’d sold the larger bags of cannabis for £35 and the smaller snap bags for £10 a piece. He would make around £50 profit on £90-worth of cannabis. He admitted that the drugs and cash in the Park South home were his.

Appearing before Swindon Magistrates’ Court last month, Belcher, of Blakesley Close, Park South, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis over two years between October 2017 and 2019.

Defending, Emma Handslip said her client was genuinely remorseful. He had been a heavy cannabis user himself and had begun selling in order to pay back a debt and make money for himself.

He had previously been subject to a youth referral order for an unrelated matter and had made such good progress on the order that the youth offending team applied to have it discharged three months early.

He had two young children.

Sentencing Belcher to 10 months’ imprisonment suspended for 18 months, Recorder Bebb said: “You are 21. You have previous convictions but not for drugs. Given the fact that you have been street dealing in cannabis for two years, in my judgement the offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence is merited. I am guided by the judicial guidelines.

“It seems to me, taking into account the fact you were a street dealer who was motivated by financial advantage my starting point is one year and there is an aggravating feature, which is your attempt to dispose of the [evidence].”

Had he fought the matter to trial, Belcher could have expected 15 months’ imprisonment. His sentence was reduced by a third because of his early guilty plea.

Under the terms of his suspended sentence he must complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions and 36 hours at an attendance centre. The cash seized by police was forfeit and the drugs will be destroyed.