Twice police found David Barnett driving through Bedford with drugs in a vehicle. And now he is counting the cost as he faces up to the next sixteen and a half months behind bars.
That was the sentence he got when he appeared at Luton crown court on Thursday, April 29, 2021, via a video link from Bedford Prison to plead guilty to three offences of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply and possessing criminal property.
Prosecutor Oliver Weetch said it was around 1am on October 26 last year when police officers saw Barnett speeding along a road in Bedford.
He was stopped and gave a false name to the officers, but after his true identity was established a search of his Audi car was carried out and in the glove box, wraps of crack cocaine and heroin were discovered with a street value of £1020.
Back at his home in Ossory Way, Bedford, ten more wraps of heroin were found.
He was released under investigation, but then on March 5 this year police stopped him behind the wheel of a car in Bedford following a short police chase.
During the chase Mr Weetch said the defendant, who is 25, had been seen to discard cash and Class A drugs from out of the window which were subsequently recovered.
The drugs he had thrown from the car turned out to be wraps of crack cocaine and heroin and the cash amounted to £1182.
Mr Weetch said the offence of possessing criminal property concerned expensive training shoes police observed being delivered to his home in March of this year following his second arrest.
Judge Lynn Tayton QC hearing the case, was told Barnett accepted full responsibility for his offending and had expressed remorse.
She was told he was now determined to turn his life away from criminality and wanted to find a job when he is released from prison.
He was jailed for two years and nine months and told he will have to serve half that time in custody before he can be released back into the community on licence.
