Jail sentence for Horsham man caught with cocaine

Mark Day, 44, of Rushams Road, Horsham, appeared at Hove Trial Centre this afternoon and was jailed for two years.

At a previous hearing, he had pleaded guilty to possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply.

The court heard that police searched Day’s home in November last year, and found 91.4g of cocaine, along with scales and resealable bags.

George Hepburne Scott, representing Day, said he only supplied drugs because a man who claimed Day owed him money had threatened him, demanding that he distribute drugs to pay off his debt.

He said Day had never profited from the drug trade, and pointed out that the police did not find large sums of money or expensive items in the home, as they would normally expect to.

Sentencing, Judge Anthony Niblett said it was a ‘significant amount’ of cocaine.

“I’m prepared to accept and sentence you on your basis of plea,” he said, “but that still leaves you in a situation where, according to the guidelines, only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”

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