A Kensington man with a long list of convictions has been jailed for drug dealing.
Michael Coney, 58, had 20 wraps of heroin and 32 wraps of crack cocaine on him when he was stopped by police in Liverpool on January 26.
He pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply at a later court hearing, but was found guilty on all charges by the jury. He appeared via video link from HMP Liverpool for sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, November 21.
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The court heard he had 27 past convictions for 65 offences, including two for dealing class A drugs dating back to 1998 and 2004.
Miss Payne, defending, said Coney was a long-term drug addict who also suffered from schizophrenia.
She said: "Having spoken to Mr Coney it appears there are concerns with regards to his health. He's passing urine and vomiting urine. There are concerns with regards to a cancer diagnosis. He's losing weight and that can't be explained given he's now drug-free."
Judge Byrne declined to hand down the minimum seven year prison sentence which usually applies to class A drug trafficking offences for adults with two previous separate convictions for the same offence, and instead handed down a sentence of five and a half years.
He said: "You're clearly a person who has been addicted to these drugs for a very long time and that has clearly taken its toll on your health. More importantly, the two previous (drug dealing) convictions are very historic. In my opinion it would be unjust to apply the minimum term based on these convictions, based on their age."
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