Shropshire Star

Drug dealer caught hiding Class A drugs in Kinder Surprise eggs bolts from court

A man found guilty of drug charges bolted from a Shropshire courtroom dock after a judge remanded him in custody.

Published

James Spotswood went on the run following his trial at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday. The 28-year-old from Merseyside was arrested by police several hours later.

Spotswood denied two counts of being in possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and being in possession of a knife in a public place.

But a jury unanimously found him guilty of all three charges at yesterday's hearing.

The case was adjourned for Spotswood to be sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court on November 29.

Mrs Debra White, for Spotswood, argued he should be given bail until the hearing.

But when Recorder Martin Jackson refused, Spotswood – who has a young baby – ran out of the court building.

During the two-day trial, the court heard that wraps of crack cocaine and heroin worth £900 were found hidden inside two Kinder Surprise eggs after police pulled over a car in Gobowen Road, Oswestry.

Spotswood and passenger Alan McNeil were found to have a sock containing the eggs with the drugs inside when they were stopped on January 30 last year.

A knife was also seized from the vehicle.

Mr Brett Williamson, prosecuting, said the pair were drug dealers and Spotswood drove McNeil to addresses for deals.

He said police found 79 wraps of crack cocaine, nine wraps of heroin and a wrap containing a mixture of the Class A drugs.

Officers seized £235 from Spotswood, of River Grove, New Ferry, Wirral.

Giving evidence, Spotswood claimed he had been held hostage by McNeil, who had forced him to be his driver and threatened him with a knife.

The jury was told that McNeil had already pleaded guilty to two counts of being in possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply.

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