Addict sobs as judge jails him for holding drugs

Brett Johnsey tried to swallow the wraps of the class A drugs as officers burst through his front door. But police stopped him and found the 27-year-old had £250 worth of the drugs at his address in a bag.

Dad-of-one Johnsey, sobbed as he was jailed after admitting two counts of possessing class A with intent to supply.

‘When the police entered Mr Johnsey began to struggle, he was trying to swallow some wraps,’ prosecutor Daniel Sawyer said.

‘Some of those wraps were seized from him. There were more wraps found in a bag.’

Portsmouth Crown Court heard officers found nine one-gram deals of crack cocaine, 14 one-gram bags of heroin, and four two-gram bags of heroin. In all, the drugs were worth £250, Mr Sawyer said.

They were found at his former home in Portchester, on March 3.

Mr Sawyer added: ‘His phone has been examined and it contains marketing text messages but they’re all in the inbox so the phone is consistent with him being a user of class A drugs.

He added: ‘We don’t have him sending marketing texts.’

Johnsey has a conviction for possession of class A drugs in February 2014. Mr Sawyer added: ‘He is clearly holding the drugs at the very least. There’s nothing to suggest he’s the brains of the operation.’

Judge Roger Hetherington jailed Johnsey for 28 months concurrent for each offence.

He said: ‘You certainly would have had some awareness of the scale of the operation and would have been motivated by financial advantage but ultimately to pay off your own drug debts.’

Sam Barker, mitigating for Johnsey, of Garnier Park, Wickham, had appealed for the judge to send him on a rehabilitation course. The judge rejected this as he was given a chance previously.

Mr Barker said there was ‘absolutely no evidence’ of dealing on Johnsey’s phone.

‘This is a man who still could turn his life around,’ Mr Barker said.