OFFICERS discovered £44,000 worth of drugs in a bag belonging to a drug-dealer after he called the police on himself in a “bizarre” incident last year.
Louis Hosea, 20, was jailed this afternoon but was spared a longer prison sentence despite racking up more than 30 convictions in six years.
A court heard how just months after finishing another prison sentence, Hosea was in a hotel room in Reading when he called police to tell them people were trying to break down his door with knives.
When police arrived, they found Hosea sweating and ‘not making much sense’.
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Prosecution counsel John Sank said officers suspected Hosea was under the influence of drugs.
Police searched his backpack and found heroin with a street value of £12,850, cocaine with a value of £31,680, a small amount of cannabis and a zombie knife inside.
Defending, Mark Kinsey said: “This offence is somewhat bizarre in that it is the defendant himself who called the police.
Louis Hosea. Image via TVP
“When the police arrived the defendant was in a state of paranoia, drug-induced or not.”
Mr Kinsey suggested the call was a “cry for help” after claiming Hosea’s past was “catching up with him.”
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The court heard how Hosea had more than 30 convictions to his name -- including county line drug and robbery offences -- with his first being recorded when he was just 14-years-old.
Most of these convictions came about “in the presence of adults” who used him “for their criminal gain”, Mr Kinsey told the court.
In his closing remarks, the defence barrister asked Recorder Mr Dyer not to impose a longer sentence.
Sentencing, Mr Dyer told Hosea his criminal history was “considerable” and these offences were “serious” but opted for a shorter prison term for Hosea.
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The 20-year-old, of no fixed abode, was handed a four-year prison sentence for two counts of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply, one count of possession of cannabis, and one count of possession of an offensive weapon.
He will serve half of this sentence in prison before being released on licence.
Hosea was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Friday, January 7.
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