A FORMER Carlisle soldier who turned to cocaine dealing to fund his addiction has been spared an immediate jail term.

Once a promising young soldier, Jon-Joseph Smith, 23, was thrown out of the Army because of his drug use, which began after the tragic death of his sister, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

He then turned to selling the drug after being put “under pressure” by higher level drugs criminals.

The defendant, of Garrett Way, Carlisle, admitted three supply offences: possessing cocaine with intent to supply, being concerned in supplying the same drug, and a second charge possession with intent offence.

Prosecutor Andrew Evans outlined the facts.

The first offence came to light on October 15, 2022. Police stopped the defendant in the car park of a McDonald’s restaurant in Penrith. In his wallet, they found 10 wraps of cocaine.

The second and third offences came to light after the defendant had been arrested and given police bail for that first offence.  The first of these two crimes was discovered after police stopped the defendant’s van in Carlisle in May, 2022.

Inside the van, officers found an empty Kinder Egg container. At the police station, the defendant was searched and found to have hidden a plastic bag between his legs. Inside it was almost 30g of cocaine.

On April 17 the following year, police spotted the defendant drive past them and began following his car. Something was thrown from the car as it was driven away.

“The vehicle was then boxed in by the police car and the defendant ran away,” said Mr Evans. Smith was eventually caught after a half-mile chase on foot. In the bag he had discarded, police found 27 wraps of cocaine.

The investigation also revealed regular £40 deposits in the defendant’s account during 2022, an amount that is commonly paid for half a gram of cocaine.

Over the year he was dealing, the defendant's bank accounts saw deposits of around £2,500, money which the prosecution will seek to reclaim for the state at a future court hearing. 

Jeff Smith, defending, said the defendant had spent two years in the Army before his life went awry. The young soldier’s sister died in tragic circumstances and the defendant began consuming cocaine.

“His life in the Army became rather uncomfortable because of his consumption of cocaine,” said the lawyer.

The defendant was asked to resign and, after leaving the Army, he was put under pressure to deal the drug so that he could reduce the debt he owed to his dealers.

“But he is now drug free,” said the lawyer, adding that Smith was such a good athlete that he could in other circumstances have been a professional.

Judge Nicholas Barker accepted that there would have been “elements” of coercion that led to the defendant dealing cocaine. But the offending was aggravated by two of the three offences being committed after he had been released on police bail.

Accepting that the mitigating factors “far outweighed” the aggravating ones, Judge Barker decided to suspend the 24-month jail term he imposed for two years. The sentence includes 240 hours of unpaid work.

Smith must also complete 15 rehabilitation activity days and a three-month curfew as punishment for his crimes.