Corby drug dealer who splurged on designer gear is locked up

A drug dealer from Corby who splashed the cash with his ill-gotten gains has been locked up after being caught twice in six months.

Robert Stuart, 20, splurged on designer shoes and a £3,500 watch and spent more than £3,000 in one day in Selfridges - despite being unemployed.

Two police raids at his Samuel Place home just six months apart found the designer items with class A drugs worth thousands of pounds and more than £14,000 in cash.

On Tuesday (November 10) Northampton Crown Court heard officers first raided his home on December 12 last year and arrested him, with Stuart volunteering to them that they would find '500 pills in a black bag in a cupboard'.

Police seized cash, pills and crystal powder, found blue and pink pills in a zip-up holdall and recovered phones and lists of numbers scattered around the room.

Prosecutor Henry James told the court they also found expensive Nike trainers, Gucci baby shoes, an expensive TV, a Tag watch with a receipt for more than £3,500, a designer bag and keys to a Honda scooter.

Receipts revealed he had been on a spending spree since February and had splurged £24,644 - including more than £3,000 in one day in Selfridges - despite not having a job.

A grey Nike bag was also found with £11,290 in cash and more MDMA pills.

Stuart gave no comment answers and was released under investigation, but came back to the police's attention in February.

Officers saw a man in a balaclava riding a motorbike dangerously, overtaking a school bus, before riding to Alberta Close and across a pedestrian path where he lost control and fell off. The court heard he had been driving "like an idiot". Stuart was later sentenced to a community order and banned from the roads for dangerous driving.

He started to run after he fell off but was intercepted and two phones were recovered. One message sent from the phone said: "Best deals about. Doing drops all day anywhere in Corby. Just ask."

On June 30 police executed another warrant at his home where he told officers there was a rucksack with pills and cash in, which he was being forced to keep and store for others.

He said: "I am in a sticky situation. It's nothing like you found before."

In total, across the two raids, police recovered more than 160g of MDMA worth between £5,000 and £7,500 on the streets, and more than £14,000 in cash.

Stuart, who appeared via videolink from prison, later admitted possession of class A drugs with intent to supply and possession of criminal property.

Mitigating, Micaila Williams said Stuart was 'relatively intelligent' and was some years ahead at school in English and maths, but started smoking cannabis and couldn't afford to pay for it.

She said he was given the opportunity to deal drugs to pay for his own habit and found it difficult to get out, adding that prison has been a wake-up call for him.

She said: "He's realised he's not part of a big gang like he thought he was.

"He is in fact a very small fish in a big ocean."

His Honour Judge David Herbert QC sentenced Stuart to a total of four years detention. He will spend half in custody with the remainder on licence.

Stuart will face a proceeds of crime act hearing at a later date.

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