A judge slammed a young dad for "showing no regard" to his unborn child when he ran two graft phones flooding Warrington and Shrewsbury with crack and heroin.
Anthony Fox, 22, was found to be using the phones to send out bulk text messages advertising Class A drugs as part of a county lines style drugs ring based in Merseyside. Liverpool Crown Court heard today (Monday) that Fox's home in Byron Close, Huyton, was raided by police on September 20 this year.
Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, told the court: "A county lines operation was in situ in terms of Class A drugs from the Merseyside location to Warrington. This was nicknamed by police the Mitch Line. There was also the Scouse Bobby Class A drugs line from Merseyside to Shrewsbury.
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"As a result three devices had been co-located together on 1,187 occasions between August 27 and September 23."
Mr Blasbery said when Fox's address was raided he fled out of the rear of the property and escaped. However one phone was recovered in the address used to operate the Mitch Line.
The court heard despite his escape, Fox handed himself in to police on September 27. He declined to answer questions in his interview but later pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.
The court heard he had four previous convictions for nine offences, but he was also on licence after serving a sentence for possession of cannabis with intent to supply as well as other crimes at the time he was caught.
Lloyd Morgan, defending, said: "He is a young man who had been struggling with a cannabis addiction, and as a result he ran up a debt. To pay off that debt he operated the graft phones."
Mr Morgan said his client was determined to "turn his life around" after the recent birth of his daughter, and had spent time in prison while on remand acting as a "listener" to other inmates with mental health problems.
He said Fox's partner had visited him in prison and made clear if he wanted to remain in his child's life he needed to change his ways.
Judge Ian Harris, sentencing Fox, said his previous offending, which included possession of a blade and supplying cocaine and cannabis, "had been no deterrent."
Jailing Fox for four years, he said: "I note that you are now a father. Obviously you had no regard whatsoever for your then unborn child when you were committing these offences.
"It is said you committed your offences when you ran up a debt. Whether or not that is so is irrelevant. These offences were committed with your eyes wide open, doing what you had done before in the past. As I said before it was no deterrent whatsoever.
"I have to have regard to the effect of Class A drugs on communities and families. You will know from your experience how communities and families get wrecked by drug addiction, particularly involving Class A drugs. What you were doing was enabling Class A drugs to be supplied causing even more misery to people in those communities."
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