Drug dealer is spared jail in an '˜exceptional' case

Connor Porter, 21, was arrested after being spotted with MDMA in Emma’s nightclub in Gosport.

Police raided his home and found paraphernalia including plastic bags, brown powder, eight £20 notes, a brown notebook, a set of digital scales, empty bags with white residue and a green Nokia mobile phone.

But judge Ian Pearson said the case was ‘wholly exceptional’ after hearing Porter’s dad and aunt give evidence about the tough time he had following his nan’s death.

The judge said: ‘You are described in the pre-sentence report as at low risk of re-offending for a person in your situation and dealt drugs for a relatively short period.

‘I take a wholly exceptional view here and it won’t happen very often as far as this court is concerned.’

The judge lowered the sentence starting point to three years and gave Porter a third off for pleading guilty.

It meant the sentence was two years, the maximum that could be suspended.

The term was suspended for two years, with a six-month curfew from 8pm to 6.30am with a electronic tag and 250 hours’ unpaid work.

Victoria Hill, prosecuting, said Porter played a ‘significant role’ in dealing. The court heard he sold the drugs and gave them to friends.

She said in a second interview Porter admitted dealing for about three months.

And she said Porter said he went ‘to Ibiza and spent £2,000 in a week’ and ‘that set him back’ so he fell into drug dealing as ‘drugs are quite rife in Gosport and not hard to get into’.

The court heard the drugs found at Porter’s home in Dampier Close, Gosport, was 13g in weight and worth between £510 and £680.

In court, Porter said: ‘I was in quite a bad place at that time, personally, and I had problems with my nan.’

He added: ‘The drugs and MDMA were helping, but looking back on it the number of people I’ve let down and disappointed is soul-destroying.’

He pleaded guilty to possession of a class A drug with intent to supply on September 26 last year at the nightclub.

He also admitted being concerned in the supply of a class A between June 25 and September 26.

Porter has no previous convictions. He must pay £340 in costs.