A MAN who dealt a class A drug to friends in Sedbergh has been given a 20-month prison sentence.

Carlisle Crown Court heard that Oliver Wales, 24, ran up a drugs debt with professional criminals having started using cannabis because of sleep deprivation.

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To rid himself of that debt, Wales agreed to deal illegal substances in his home village. But when he failed to sell the required amount, Wales was threatened and then attacked at his own house by those he owed money to.

Wales, of Fairholme, Sedbergh, pleaded guilty to supplying class A ecstasy and class B cannabis between May last year and January. He also admitted possessing those drugs with intent to supply them, and possessing class A cocaine.

Judge Paul Batty QC concluded that because Wales was put under "extreme" pressure to commit the crimes, he would take the "exceptional" step of suspending the prison sentence for two years.
However, he ordered Wales to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and undergo 12 months of supervision.