A HEROIN dealer, who even supplied his own mother with the class A drug, has been freed from prison after a judge “reflected” on the sentence he passed.

James West had a 48-hour taste of life behind bars after receiving a 27-month prison sentence at Durham Crown Court earlier this week.

The 22-year-old defendant, formerly of Pelton, but living recently in Malone Gardens, Birtley, admitted possessing the class A drug, with intent to supply, at the court, on Tuesday.

West, a front seat passenger, was holding a bag containing a brown substance, when police stopped a Volkswagen Golf outside a Sainsbury’s store in Chester-le-Street, at 2.35pm on April 19, 2020.

The court was told he also had 12 wraps of the drug in the pocket of his jogging trousers.

It was later analysed and confirmed to be heroin, weighing a total of almost 40g, with a potential street sale value of £3,900.

West was arrested and made no comment in interview.

A phone in his possession was examined and it contained 14 messages consistent with drug dealing.

Neil Jones, prosecuting, said it emerged one of the people who West was supplying was his own mother.

Mr Jones told the court: “It’s not ‘major’ dealing, but not confined to family members, as he has a handful of contacts.”

Jessica Slaughter, for West, said he had a difficult upbringing, but while staying at an aunt’s home recently has been helping look after her horses.

He has also held down a full-time job, doing plastering and fencing work, six-days a week.

Miss Slaughter urged Judge Ray Singh to impose a suspended prison sentence, so West can continue in work.

But Judge Singh said West, as a former drug user, himself, should have been aware of the “misery” of heroin addiction.

Jailing him, he said it was “unforgiveable” that he should resort to supplying the drug to his own mother for payment.

Read more:  Heroin dealer who supplied his own mother caught when police searched car

But the case was called back into court today (Thursday February 17), when the judge said he has had time to “reflect” on the sentence he passed.

He said he was able to adjust the starting point of the sentence, so that, with a 25-per cent discount, he could bring it down to 24-months.

The judge said it was now in a range where he could suspend the sentence for two years.

But he ordered West to complete 180-hours’ unpaid work, attend 30 probation-led rehabilitation sessions and observe a four-month, 9pm to 6am, electronically-monitored home curfew.

Judge Singh warned West that, short of being in hospital suffering critical illness, should he miss any appointment, either for unpaid work or a probation session, or fail to comply with the curfew, he would be brought back to court and the two-year sentence would be activated.

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