A homeless man was caught dealing heroin and crack cocaine by police in Cardiff city centre in order to fund his own addiction to Class A drugs. Messages on his phone revealed he had been sending "text bombs" to customers advertising drugs.
Eric McShane, 26, was spotted by officers in Queen Street at 1.05pm on April 19 with a group of people who were suspected to be drug users. They were seen to crowd around the defendant who appeared to supply them with drugs.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard McShane was seen again a short time later at 1.45pm taking money from two two people who walked a short distance to a fire escape and began preparing drugs for use in a crack pipe.
Read more: Get the latest court cases sent to your email inbox with our Crime & Punishment newsletter
Prosecutor Sol Hartley said the defendant was arrested and found in possession of six wraps of heroin, 13 wraps of crack cocaine, and £87 in cash. He was also found with a brown Rizla paper containing brown powder and white Rizla paper containing a white rock. His phone was seized and analysed and was found to have sent "text bombs" saying "live both" to as many as 13 customers at a time.
McShane, of the Huggard Centre, Hansen Street, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply controlled drugs of Class A and two counts of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs of Class A. The court heard he had 10 previous convictions relating to offences of theft and violence including robbery but these are his first drug convictions.
In mitigation solicitor-advocate Derrick Gooden said his client had a number of problems related to "upsetting incidents" during his upbringing. The defendant started dealing in order to fund his own habit, which in court was said to be costing £600 a day, but since being remanded in custody he has provided two negative drug tests.
Sentencing, Recorder Andrew Hammond said: "This case illustrates just how miserable the trade of Class A drugs is. CCTV shows the depressingly poignant image of you, a troubled homeless heroin and crack cocaine user turned dealer, counting out coins from a dishevelled wheelchair-bound user you are dealing to.
"You are a victim of Class A drug use but you have chosen to perpetuate that suffering on others.... You stood to benefit from significant financial advantage in funding that daily habit."
McShane was sentenced to a total of 30 months imprisonment. He will serve half the sentence in custody before he is released to serve the remainder on licence.
You can sign up to our regular Crime and Punishment newsletter here while this interactive tool allows you to check the latest crime statistics for your area:
