Shropshire drug dealer told police numbers in contact book were songs he had written

Officers had discovered the notebook of names, numbers and weights at the home of Jacob Ryan McGuire during a search, a prosecutor said.

Mr Mike Phillips, prosecuting at Telford Magistrates Court, said police had found a safe in the defendant's bedroom that contained a black plastic tub of cannabis, a set of small digital scales and £1,800 stashed under his bed.

Officers valued the 458g of cannabis at between £2,420 and £6,870 depending on the size at which it was sold, said Mr Phillips.

He said that the notebook had been found on top of the safe and described it as "a dealer's list".

The court heard that McGuire lived with his grandparents, and that his grandmother had been present on June 6 during the search of the house at The Alley, Little Wenlock.

The 24-year-old pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

Mr Phillips said the defendant had told police he had bought the drugs in bulk for the past four years, following an assault during a deal in Wellington.

He told officers he would buy between 15-16 ounces at a time for £4,000-£5,000 to use for himself and to sell to friends at cost price.

McGuire denied that the notebook was a dealer's list and told police in interview that he was a songwriter and had written songs about numbers in the past, however he couldn't explain why the list contained weights, said Mr Phillips.

McGuire, who was a man of previous good character with no previous convictions, added that the £1,800 cash was a fund for travelling.

Magistrates sentenced McGuire to a community order of 12 months with 100 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay a total of £325 court costs.

Chris Grainger said that the dealing was at the lower end of the scale.

"Clearly somebody living in a rural are with no personal transport is going to find it difficult to deal," he said.

Mr Grainger said McGuire did not meet several requirements of drug dealers as he was not involved in a chain, did not influence others to buy or distribute the drug, and was not motivated by financial opportunity.

He said the finances put forward by the prosecution "did not stack up" as it would have entailed a mark-up of 100 per cent and an annual income of £40,000, for which there was no evidence in the defendant's bank account or home.

For the probation service Mrs Dawn Telford said McGuire had been using cannabis since he was 13 but had given it up following his arrest.

She said the defendant was particularly concerned about the effect the arrest had had on his grandparents with whom he had lived since he was 18.

"This has caused them unnecessary stress and anguish especially in the close-knit community they live in," she said.