Ex-soldier who set up one-man Class A drugs business in Blackburn busted by police in less than a week

John Wolfendale, 34, was described by his own barrister as a "ham-fisted and amateurish" dealer, when he appeared before a judge in Preston.

The Army veteran bought supplies from a man in a service station, leased a car and set off to sell heroin and crack cocaine from the vehicle in broad daylight to users in Blackburn, the court was told.

But he had only been operating for a few days when he was spotted trading to a known drug user in the street by a plain clothes officer and arrested.

In the car and in his clothes police found wraps of Class A drugs worth a total of £1,760.

When they searched his home they discovered around £200 he admitted he had earned from his new employment, together with unused wraps, drug scales - and a police warrant card.

Wolfendale, who had been medically discharged with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after 14 years distinguished service, was spared jail after District Judge Richard Clews read references from Army top brass which he agreed were "very impressive."

He pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and was given a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years.

Judge Clews told him: "You have served your country with distinction."

But he said that what he had experienced during 14 years "has taken its toll on you and it may have caused you to distort your thinking."

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Barrister Richard Flook, prosecuting, said a plain clothes officer saw a man he knew to be a drug user talking to Wolfendale through the window of his car.

When he was stopped he had 60 wraps of heroin and 70 of crack cocaine in his possession, together with two mobile phones and £100 in cash.

Interviewed at the police station he admitted dealing in drugs.

He said he had been discharged from the Army with PTSD and had decided to sell drugs to get money.

He said he hadn't been doing it for long - less than a week - and he denied he was working for anyone else. He was just working for himself.

His barrister Graham Rishton told the court Wolfendale had been "foolhardy, ham-fisted and amateurish."

He added: "There is an element of naivety in him setting up like he did. This was effectively a one-man band, there was no chain.

"This is a man who was a serving member of the armed forces for 14 years before he was medically discharged. His references (to the court) are very impressive.

"Catastrophic decision-making has brought him to this place. He has previous exemplary conduct and shows genuine remorse."

Judge Clews told Wolfendale: "You are not a bad man at all. But you have chosen to commit one of the most serious offences the courts deal with.

"Drugs cause untold misery up and down the country, almost everywhere on a daily basis.

And what's not so widely known and becoming more appreciated is not only are they highly addictive, but a huge proportion of the crime these courts have to deal with emanates from Class A drugs, because craving becomes so bad that people in their grip will do anything and they don't care who gets caught up in the crossfire.

"This is one of the reasons why courts are told to deal with these offences severely. There are easy pickings out there and you can make money in it - as long as you don't get caught.

"The prosecution have accepted that you had only been doing this for a week and, due to the amount found on you, you haven't really got too far - you probably hadn't sold a great deal and the damage you might have caused is limited."

Suspending the jail sentence, Judge Clews added: "You are not likely to get a second chance, so don't put yourself in the position of needing one."      

Wolfendale, of Heyworth Avenue, Blackburn, was ordered to do 30 days of rehabilitation activity and 180 hours of unpaid work.

He was also put on an electronic tag for six weeks.

Judge Clews said: "I try to take the view that everyone is allowed to make one mistake.

"Your mistake is so serious that you came close to going to jail, but only by the skin of your teeth."