Brierfield cannabis delivery driver had three mobile phones

Zaid Khan had been found in a car with others, and had been going round dropping off drugs.

He had four bags of cannabis in a tin when he was arrested, as well as £177 in cash and three mobile telephones, Burnley Crown Court was told.

Khan, who has never broken the law before, had admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply. The defendant (19), of Arnold Close, Brierfield, was given nine months in detention, suspended for a year, with a 12-week, 10-30 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew and must pay £250 costs.

The court had been told how the cannabis seized by police was worth about £50. When the telephones were examined, some drug-related messages were found on one. Judge Jonathan Gibson said Khan had been delivering on a “relatively small scale,” was said to be genuinely remorseful and accepted complete responsibility for his actions. The probation service described him as naive and assessed him as posing a low risk of reoffending.

The defendant was now working in a call centre, and leaving behind his old associates and progressing in his career were important factors for the future.

The judge told the defendant: “This is an opportunity to grasp with both hands. You owe it to both your family and the wider community to do everything that you can to ensure that you put this offence behind you and go on to be a useful member of the community. It seems to me either you will do that or you will end up slipping into a life of crime.”