Drugs ring teen freed after appeal

AN Oldham teenager who travelled to Scarborough as part of a drugs ring has been freed from youth custody by top judges.

Jamie McKenna was caught in a police sting after making the trip with a drug dealer as part of a Manchester-based plot to flood the seaside town with cocaine.

The 19-year-old, of Edgeware Road, Chadderton, was locked up for 18 months in February after admitting conspiracy to supply class A drugs at York Crown Court.

But he was today released after judges at the Court of Appeal, in London, ruled his sentence was too long and replaced it with a 12-month suspended sentence.

The teenager received a stern warning he could find himself back behind bars if he strays into crime again.

Mr Justice Green said: "We are sure he will be aware that, if he offends again within the 18-month suspension period, he will be at high risk of being recalled to a Young Offender Institution."

The court heard a gang of drug dealers from the Manchester area supplied cocaine to users and other dealers in Scarborough between August 2013 and March 2014.

Police discovered a telephone 'hotline' being used to set up drug deals in December 2013, and made arrests.

But the gang simply transferred the operation to a new mobile phone SIM card and continued peddling the drug.

In February 2014, McKenna travelled to Scarborough with a member of the gang.

The pair were arrested outside a Costcutter supermarket, after undercover police contacted the hotline and arranged a meeting.

The court heard this incident was McKenna's only involvement in the plot and he was not directly responsible for arranging the sale of the drugs.

Admissions

Allowing the teenager's appeal, Mr Justice Green said the crown court judge's remarks were short and didn't appear to take account of his youth or the fact he stayed out of trouble between his arrest and sentence.

Sitting with Lord Justice Burnett and Mr Justice Morris, he added: "He was a juvenile at the time of the offence and was entitled to full credit for his admissions of guilt.

"He played a peripheral and limited role and was therefore in a different position to other offenders.

"It was also relevant he had both awaited trial for three years and had, in that time period, kept out of trouble."