Hi


Two teenagers who supplied cannabis to a large circle of friends were told by a judge they had escaped custody by "a whisker".

Benjamin Blackburn (1 and Jack Longland (1, both from Barwell, near Hinckley, admitted supplying the class B drug, between March and June last year.

They were given one-year community orders and will both have to do 100 hours of unpaid work.

Leicester Crown Court was told they were caught following the arrest of two other people for possessing cannabis.


Text messages on their phones were examined by the police, which implicated the defendants as the suppliers.

Barbara Graham, prosecuting, said the subsequent investigation revealed Blackburn had 17 drug supply contacts and Longland was involved in the dealing and delivery.

Both defendants were 17 when they committed the offences, the court was told.

Gary Short, mitigating for Blackburn, said that after losing a decorator's job in the economic downturn he had time on his hands and began dealing to friends to fund his own cannabis use.

Esther Harrison, mitigating for Longland, said he turned to cannabis following the death of his grandfather.

Sentencing, Judge Simon Hammond said: "You've come within a whisker of going away."

Blackburn, of Kingsfield Road, and Longland, of Waterfall Way, were also told to each pay
65 court costs.

Ear

Bongme