CRACK DEALER, 13, FACES CUSTODY

A judge spoke yesterday of his "sadness and horror" over a 12-year-old
caught cycling to his next crack cocaine deal.

"This is a serious and very, very worrying case," judge Quentin
Campbell said after the schoolboy was found guilty of possessing
possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply, at Inner
London crown court.

The youth, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, was found with
nearly Pounds 1,000 in cash and narcotics in his pocket, the court was
told.

After warning the child he faced a risk of custody, the judge remanded
him into local authority care for a month, took off his wig, rubbed
his hands across both eyes and added: "Isn't it sad."

The court heard how the schoolboy, now 13, had repeatedly tried to
escape as plain-clothed police found 18 rocks of crack cocaine and two
wraps of heroin worth Pounds 500 in his left tracksuit trouser pocket.

Underneath them wasPounds 400 in cash. More crack cocaine, a small amount
of cannabis and a further Pounds 1,600 was found shortly afterwards at a
friend's flat, which the youngster had moved into after a row with his
mother.

Detective Constable Ian Dickson, one of those who helped arrest and
handcuff the boy, said after the trial: "This has to be a terrible
indictment on society."

The youth showed no reaction as the foreman made it plain his defence
of duress had been rejected by announcing majority 10-2 convictions on
one count of possessing nearly 5 grams of crack cocaine and just over
700 milligrams of heroin, both with intent to supply.

The boy had spent the two-day trial sitting in the well of the court
between his mother and his solicitor.

The court had heard how the youngster, acquitted at another court last
week of two counts of robbery, was spotted cycling with a 15-year-old
youth, by police last September in south London.

Detective Constable Lesley Crofts recalled how she confronted the
defendant while a colleague approached the older youth.

"As soon as I showed him my warrant card he slid off his bike and
attempted to run away," she said.

"So I took hold of his arm, said I was going to search him and asked
if he was carrying anything he shouldn't."

In evidence the youth repeatedly told the court he had been
"frightened" of the older, much bigger boy arrested with him and felt
he had no choice but to obey him when told to look after the drugs and
money.

But in summing up the judge made it clear that for the child's duress
defence to succeed he would have to have really believed that
disobedience would result in "death or serious injury".

Simply being in awe of somebody was not enough. Press
Association