A heroin dealer has been given six-months to stay out of trouble before being sentenced after a judge gave him a ‘wholly exceptional’ chance in court.

Darren Hutchinson was caught with more than 200 grammes of heroin when police arrested one of his customers coming out of his Darlington home in February 2021.

Teesside Crown Court heard how police searched his property and found weighing scales and £150 in cash.

Ian West, prosecuting, said that when the 42-year-old was arrested he told officers – “I’m not going to lie to you, I have just sold some to my friends to pay for it (the heroin)”.

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The defendant claimed that that he only paid £2,000 for the heroin but police estimated it would have cost between £6,000 and £8,000 with a street dealing value of up to £13,000.

Mr West said Hutchinson had a previous conviction for dealing heroin and was jailed for three years in 2008.

Hutchinson, of Cumberland Street, Darlington, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a Class A drug – heroin.

Jonathan Walker, mitigating, urged the judge to defer sentence for six months as his client was now free from drink and was weening himself off heroin through a treatment programme.

He added: “The defendant, over the course of he last 11 years, has drastically reduced his offending.

“It runs hand in hand with the relationship with his partner who is in court with him.”

The Northern Echo: Teesside Crown CourtTeesside Crown Court

Mr Walker said Hutchinson had stayed out of trouble for more than two-and-a-half years since he was arrested for drug dealing.

Recorder Brian Whitehead told the dealer he was prepared to take the ‘wholly exceptional’ decision to agree to the deferment request.

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“You appear to have turned your life around since them,” he added. “There has been a delay of two and a half years and you have stopped taking heroin and drinking alcohol – you are now abstinent.”

Hutchinson will return to the same court in March next year to be sentenced.

The judge added: “It is in your hands now - you have done a lot already to turn your life around.

“You have another six months, I can’t make any assurances but I will lock at it again in six months and hopefully, you will be on a course to a better place.”