Two men from County Durham were found with a quantity of a recreational drug in their car as they headed to a birthday party in Norfolk, a court heard.

The pair, Nathan Fox and Robert Knights, were also found in possession of a phone which contained what appeared to have been a drug dealer’s ‘tick list’.

Fox, 38, and 55-year-old Knights, both of Cinnamon Drive, Trimdon Station, were before Durham Crown Court in a case committed for sentence from a magistrates’ court in Norfolk, where they each admitted possession of a class A drug with intent to supply and simple possession of a class B drug.

Samantha Ball, prosecuting, said the pair were in a car together when police, seeing unusual behaviour as they noticed the officers in their vehicle, pulled them over to the roadside.

Read more: Police vehicle stop in Consett uncovered class A and B drugs worth £73k

Miss Ball said a quantity of methamphetamine was found in the car, with the phone containing the dealer’s list, containing amounts owed against names.

Other drugs were found at the home they share in County Durham, but it was thought those may be for personal use.

Miss Ball said it appeared the pair would have had an expectation of financial advantage from their trade in drugs, and at the very least would cover their own use of the drug from the proceeds of sales.

Judge Jo Kidd said it appears they were taking recreational drugs to celebrate somebody’s birthday as they were driving to the Lowestoft area of Norfolk.

But she said she would limit the “criminality” on which she would sentence them to the day in question, January 16, last year.

Vic Laffey, representing both defendants, said they entered guilty pleas at the first opportunity at court.

Read more: Cash and cocaine seized after police chase Mercedes near Shildon

Mr Laffey said Knights is of previous good character and is in full-time work while his co-accused does have previous convictions but he was said to have shown, “reflection and maturity”, in his pre-sentence probation report, suggesting he won’t fall back into illegal drug use.

Mr Laffey said it was of no fault of the defendants that the case was delayed in any way, with their first appearance at the magistrates’ court only in July this year, 19 months after the offence was committed.

Judge Kidd agreed that neither defendant was to blame for the delay, which she bore in mind when passing a suspended sentence on both.

They were each sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, during which they will have to complete 200 hours’ unpaid work.

As Knights is in full-time work he was ordered to pay £425, while Judge Kidd also ordered forfeiture and destruction of the seized drugs and the phone containing the debtors’ list.

The judge said both were, “lucky not to be going down the stairs (to the cells) today”, and she warned both that failure to comply with the order would see them brought back to court with the likely activation of the custodial sentence.

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