Last updated at 18:01, Sunday, 13 January 2013

A BARROW man has been warned he is facing an inevitable jail term after being found guilty of being part of a drugs plot.

Jason Benzie had flatly denied being linked in any way to a conspiracy to deal heroin and cocaine in the town.

The jury took around six-and-three-quarter hours of deliberations to reach their majority verdicts.

Benzie, 37 denied charges of conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine.

His case has been adjourned for sentencing on a date to be fixed.

A pre-sentence report will be drawn up on him by the probation service.

Benzie was further remanded in custody, with the judge, Recorder Stephen Parker, telling him: “Immediate custody is almost inevitable, in terms of the sentence”.

His partner, Vicky Bryan, is one of a number of people to have admitted their part in what took place.

Police carried out a raid at the couple’s home on Vulcan Road, Barrow, in July last year.

The defendant described himself feeling “angry and bewildered” at being arrested.

Benzie accepted in evidence that he sometimes used heroin, getting the drug from suppliers in town.

He didn’t think that his partner Vicky Bryan knew about that.

At the time of the police raid Bryan was found in possession of a plastic capsule which contained heroin and cocaine wraps worth a total of £700.

Benzie explained he had been a heroin user, managed to give it up in the past, but then started taking the drug again after his father died in April last year.

He carried on using the drug when he lost his job and was still taking heroin around the time of the police raid on his semi-detached home in July last year.

However, he was unaware if his partner was taking drugs, he said.

The defendant also said he knew nothing about a series of text conversations on a particular mobile phone seized by police.

He also said he did not make any of 29 calls to a particular phone number, over a certain period of days last year.

Benzie said his partner had started using his phone, having run out of credit on her own.

First published at 13:19, Sunday, 13 January 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk