Drug dealer who refused to appear in Swansea court because he couldn't understand Welsh is spared jail
A drug dealer from Wolverhampton who refused to attend court in Wales after claiming he could not understand the Welsh accent has been given a suspended sentence.
Dwaine Campbell, aged 25, was arrested in Aberystwyth on the town's seafront with a bag containing 51 wraps of heroin.
Campbell, of Leicester Street, Whitmore Reans, was remanded to Hewell prison in Worcestershire after his arrest.
But he refused to attend his sentencing hearing at Swansea Crown Court because he might have to serve his expected prison sentence in Wales.
Campbell told his legal team that in Aberystwyth he could not understand what anyone said, even when they spoke in English, and the Welsh could not understand his thick Black Country accent.
Campbell had admitted possessing heroin with intent to supply and was due to be sentenced by Judge Peter Heywood last month but refused to leave his prison cell.
He was was told he could stay at Hewell to be sentenced via a video link and on Friday, Judge Keith Thomas sentenced Campbell to 21 months, suspended for two years.
Campbell was also ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work for the community.
Mr Francis Jones, prosecuting, said a police officer saw Campbell on the beach at Aberystwyth trying to talk to a man the officer knew to be a heroin user.
Both were searched and appeared to be 'clean'.
But when the officer took Campbell to the town's police station, a more detailed search uncovered the bag which contained a total of 9.56 grams of heroin at a high purity rate of 34 per cent.
Campbell had also booked into a hotel and had £470 in cash on him.
Miss Janet Gedrych, the barrister representing Campbell, said he had been a cannabis user and had been unable to pay his supplier, who had made serious threats towards Campbell and his family.
She added Campbell had agreed to run heroin into Aberystwyth in the hope of reducing his debt.
Judge Thomas said the amount of heroin Campbell had been trafficking could have caused 'considerable harm if it had got onto the streets of Aberystwyth'.
Judge Thomas said he was prepared to suspend the prison sentence partly because Campbell had already served 14 weeks on remand in Hewell.
