Heroin addict escapes jail 'by a whisker' (From This is Hampshire)
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Heroin addict escapes jail 'by a whisker'
7:30pm Friday 14th September 2012 in News By Chris Gregory
A HEROIN addict sheltered a London dealer at his Basing-stoke flat in exchange for drugs.
Andrew Perry, of Chiltern Way, Buckskin, allowed Anthony Halloran to stay at his flat and deal heroin and crack cocaine at a nearby bus stop.
Both men appeared at Winchester Crown Court for sentence. At a previous hearing, Perry, 59, pleaded guilty to two counts of allowing premises to be used for the supply of a controlled drug, and Halloran, 20, admitted possession of a class A drug with intent to supply.
The court heard police officers received information on July 10 that a London-based drugs syndicate was dealing in Basingstoke.
They saw Halloran twice come out of a block of flats and carry out two drug deals at a bus stop near Cotswold Close, Buckskin.
The court heard that after arresting Halloran, they visited Perry’s flat. In total, officers found 17 wraps of crack cocaine and 49 wraps of heroin, with a combined street value of £1,440.
Two mobile phones and £80 cash were also found on Halloran.
Louisa Bagley, prosecuting, said two weeks before his arrest, Perry refused a request by a man, named only in court as Carlos, to deal drugs.
She said: “He was then asked if he could accommodate Little Man (Halloran). He said he was happy for Little Man to stay as long as drugs were not being dealt (from the property). He was given £20 of crack cocaine in return.”
Hilary Thomas, defending, said Perry, whose first drug possession conviction was in 1972, had been addicted to heroin for 20 years and recently became depressed after a cut in his benefits.
Sinead Willox, defending Halloran, asked for his early guilty plea to be taken into account.
Judge Keith Cutler sentenced Halloran, of Livingstone Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey, to 16 months in a young offenders institution.
He said Perry “escaped going to prison by a whisker” and handed him a 12-month community order, with supervision and drug rehabilitation requirements.
