Three drug dealers have been spared jail after their case took four years to pass through the court system.

Kelly Wilkinson, 39, and her partner John Hunstone, 46, ran a crack cocaine gang in Northumberland with their friend Ashleigh Weatherstone, 35, and her ex-partner in late 2020 and early 2021, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Their barristers said the trio had turned their lives around in the intervening years and had endured significant anxiety as they waited four years to learn their sentence outcome.

All three were given suspended prison sentences after admitting drug-dealing offences.

The gang were caught when police found the two women with cash and drugs in an Audi at a petrol station near Bedlington on 12 January 2020, judge Carolyn Scott said.

Hunstone was later discovered with a large quantity of heroin and crack cocaine which was being repackaged into smaller packets at his home.

It subsequently took two years for their case to reach court, with all three admitting their offences in May 2023, the court heard.

There was then another two-year delay – in part due to Weatherstone disputing aspects of the prosecution case, which required a separate hearing- before they were finally sentenced on Tuesday.

The court heard there were "various reasons" for the delays, ranging from reports not being prepared as requested and the unavailability of court space and barristers.

'Turned life around'

All three had been addicted to drugs in 2020, and sold crack cocaine to fund their own habit – with the two women having a "significant role" in the dealing operation, according to prosecutor Peter Sabiston.

Andrew Walker, representing Wilkinson, said a "lot of water [had] passed under the bridge" in the intervening years, and stipulated the delays were not her fault.

Wilkinson had been "blighted" by a Class A-drug addiction that, for many years, was a "lifelong struggle" from which "very few people are able to emerge unscathed", Mr Walker said.

But she had "completely" turned her life around, to the point where she had successfully concluded programmes with addiction recovery services, and had since had a child with Hunstone, the court heard.

Mr Walker said she had found the uncertainty of her future, caused by the court delays, "extremely difficult", but it had "allowed her to show to everyone else she is capable of turning her life around".

"She couldn't have done very much more in her case to show all of this is well and truly behind her," Mr Walker said.

Mental health issues

Kate Barnes, representing Hunstone, said he had been left with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious mental health conditions following his service in the army, and had been preyed upon by other drug dealers for his pension, which was now almost totally depleted.

However, over the past four years, he made "significant progress" to address both his mental health and drug use and was now routinely returning clean samples, Ms Barnes said.

He too was not responsible for the court delays, the court heard.

Prospect of rehabilitation

Part of the delay was caused by Weatherstone submitting a basis of plea – namely that she was being coerced into drug dealing by her ex-partner – which had required a separate session, known as a trial of issue or Newton hearing, the court heard.

Weatherstone's barrister, Liam O'Brien, said she was not at fault for much of the "extraordinary" delay, and said not knowing if, or when, she might go to prison had taken a "toll" on her mental health.

He said Weatherstone, who had a traumatic history as well as various serious mental health conditions, had demonstrated "remorse" and had made "significant steps" to address her problems and drug addiction.

"She is, and always be, a drug addict, but [she] is no longer using any of the drugs she was using at the time she committed these offences," Mr O'Brien said.

He stressed Weatherstone had made "extraordinary progress in turning her life around during the period of delay".

Judge Scott said, although Weatherstone had been subjected to domestic violence, she found Weatherstone had taken part in the drug dealing of her own "volition".

The judge said drug dealers should "ordinarily" be jailed as "punishment", and all three might have faced potential jail terms of between three and seven years.

But she acknowledged the efforts they had made, the impacts of the delays, and said there was a "realistic" prospect of rehabilitation for each of them.

Wilkinson, of Millbank Terrace in Bedlington, and Weatherstone, of Sampson Close in Morpeth, both admitted being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Wilkinson was jailed for 21 months, suspended for 18 months, while Weatherstone was jailed for two years, suspended for a year and a half, along with 100 hours unpaid work.

Hunstone, of the same address as Wilkinson, admitted two counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent and was jailed for 19 months, suspended for 18 months.

All three were ordered to carry out activities with the probation service, while Weatherstone was also ordered to pay a £100 fine for missing an earlier court date which her barrister claimed had been caused by her "confusion".

A Birmingham high street described by traders as "lawless" has been given a dedicated police team.

Last November traders in Erdington said shoplifting and drug dealing was destroying businesses and police were failing to deal with offenders who were openly dealing and stealing products.

West Midlands Police started Operation Fearless in January to tackle the issues and now a team of six officers will have a visible presence on High Street, the force said.

More than 140 arrests have been made since the operation started and the "look and feel of the area" around High Street had improved, Det Supt Jim Munro, operation lead, said.

The operation will move to other parts of the city with the aim of reducing crime, like shoplifting, in key areas and make people feel safer.

In the 12 months up to June, a total of 26,145 shoplifting offences were recorded by the force, compared with 19,184 in the previous 12-month period.

'Constant presence'

The 36% rise is higher than the average for England and Wales over the same time frame (29%).

West Midlands Police said the six officers and a sergeant would be on regular patrol on High Street, speaking to local people as well as building relationships with businesses and partners.

"The results we've seen in Erdington speak for themselves – not just in terms of arrests and charges, but in the look and feel of the area around the high street," Mr Munro said.

"We're delighted that our work has been met with such positive feedback, and grateful to the Erdington community for their invaluable support and information.

"The new dedicated High Street team will be a constant presence in the area, and although Fearless is expanding to a new location – our Fearless officers will be using their impressive local and operational knowledge to support them."

The team started working in partnership with other officers in the town on 4 April, and has already made 17 arrests, the force said.

The UK government is in negotiations with France on a scheme to return illegal migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats.

In return, the British government would accept legal migrants seeking family reunion in the UK.

The French interior ministry told the BBC this would be a pilot scheme based on "a one-for-one principle", with the aim of discouraging smuggling networks.

The Conservatives said Labour's decision to scrap the Rwanda deportation agreement last year had removed a deterrent to illegal immigration.

UK Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said the government was talking to France about migration issues but did not comment on the possibility of a removals deal.

She told Sky News: "I can confirm that there are discussions ongoing with the French government about how we stop this appalling and dangerous trade in people that's happening across the English Channel."

The talks with France were first reported by the Financial Times.

"France's interest is to discourage migrants and smuggling networks from attempting to reach the UK from France," the country's interior ministry told the BBC.

The ministry suggested the pilot scheme could pave the way for an agreement on migrant returns between European Union member states.

"It is based on a one-for-one principle: for each legal admission under family reunification, there would be a corresponding readmission of undocumented migrants who managed to cross [the Channel]", a spokesperson for the ministry said.

Peter Walsh, senior researcher at the Migration Observatory, said the "deterrent effect of this measure is likely to depend on how many small boats arrivals are transferred" from the UK back to France.

"In the short term, it won't reduce our responsibility for the number of asylum seekers we take in," Mr Walsh told the BBC.

"The hope would be if we send sufficiently large numbers back to France, that would have a deterrent effect."