Reading Crown Court: Police net drugs worth thousands at Thatcham dealer's garden party

POLICE officers who raided a drug dealer's garden party did not leave empty handed.

Their haul included a stash of cocaine and drugs paraphernalia, plus cannabis worth almost £4,000 on the street, Reading Crown Court was told.

In the dock on Friday was Danny Heap, formerly of St George's Avenue, Newbury, and who now lives at Cromwell Road in the town.

Andrew Jordan, prosecuting, said: "Police executed a drugs search warrant at Mr Heap's home address, where a party was in progress in the garden.

"The defendant was on the patio along with a number of friends and others."

Heap was found to be in possession of an amount of the Class A-controlled drug cocaine and also of the Class B-controlled drug cannabis.

The court heard that a subsequent search of his room uncovered cannabis with a street value estimated at £3,740, plus two phones with drug orders from customers.

Mr Jordan said: "The phone messages were from users or, indeed, dealers themselves; some of the people he was selling to might well have been passing it to others."

Heap, he added, had played a "significant role in street dealing".

Despite telling officers who raided the party "it's mine; it's all mine", said Mr Jordan, Heap responded "no comment" to questions in a subsequent, formal police interview under caution.

The 31-year-old father of two appeared for sentencing, having been convicted at an earlier hearing of possessing cannabis with intent to supply it and possessing cocaine, both in Newbury on April 22, 2021.

Heap, pictured in 2014, also has previous convictions for 15 prior offences, including possessing cannabis with intent to supply it, and is the first person in the Thames Valley region to have been made subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

Oliver Small, representing Heap, conceded that an "adverse" pre-sentence report said his client's engagement with the probation service had been poor.

However, he added: "He is deeply regretful of his actions."

Mr Small said Heap was a full-time carer for a family member with a serious health condition and went on: "He is motivated to rehabilitate.

"He has deep-seated issues and is a user of cannabis himself; he sold it to supplement his benefits.

"He knows he faces a custodial sentence today."

Nevertheless, concluded Mr Small, Heap has recently been "living a relatively stable, non-criminal life".

The judge, Recorder Clive Broe, jailed Heap for 12 months.

He also ordered Heap to forfeit the drugs, paraphernalia and £295 in ill-gotten gains seized from his bedroom.