Drug dealing teen caught with Rambo knife and £300 of crack cocaine told police: 'I'm going to jail'
Dylan Thomson grew up "with the absence of a proper parent" and now has "a pro-criminal attitude" according to the probation service. Thomson returned home hoping that his mum would look after him last year, after a spell staying with a relative in Scotland.
But Teesside Crown Court has heard that his mother could not care for him and the then 18-year-old was left homeless. In the early hours of February 26, he was travelling in a car stopped by the police, in Grangetown.
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The police stopped the Vauxhall on Birchington Avenue after receiving information about possible drug dealing, and Thomson was searched. He had 16 wraps on crack cocaine on him. He told the police: "It's my third time in court, I'm going to jail" before admitting he had a knife with him.
He was searched again at the police station, and more cocaine was found. In total, the teen was caught with £300 worth of crack cocaine divided into .2 and .1 gram wraps. He said he kept the Rambo-style knife for his own protection, whilst out and about.
Thomson went onto deny the offences at Teesside Magistrates' Court before changing his plea and admitting to the possession of a class A drug with intent to supply; and the possession of a bladed article in public. He has a previous conviction for selling crack cocaine last year; and another for being a passenger in a car, taken without consent. He has never been to prison before.
In mitigation, Stuart Bell told the the court that Thomson's grandma had recently died, but that his aunt has offered him a room when he is released from prison. Thomson's aunt listened from the public gallery as the court heard that a pre-sentence report by the probation service found that Thomson's mother "encouraged him to take drugs" last year and that he had endured "a difficult and challenging childhood with the absence of a proper parent."
The report stated that he has a "pro-criminal attitude." Judge Richard Bennett told Thomson that his attitude - "...is largely down to your upbringing. You saw pro-criminal attitudes from your parents."
Thomson, of Myrddin Baker Road in Grangetown was given a 33-month sentence in a Young Offenders' Institution. "You've now got two very serious crimes on your record for drug trafficking," the judge told him, "do not follow the example of your parents.
"Sort yourself out in prison. Get a job, get away from it all. Do you understand?."
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