Judge offers rare praise for young offenders during sentencing

Brandon Kerrison and Luke Rance were caught with a bagload of drugs. But their surprising skills in one area got them off the hook.

Judge Hale praised them men’s use of punctuation. Picture: iStock

Two young drug dealers have narrowly avoided jail after a judge praised their grammar skills.

Brandon Kerrison, 21, and Luke Rance, 19, were nabbed by cops in December 2017 after being caught red handed with a backpack full of cannabis and cocaine.

The duo, from Wales, have no prior convictions, however Mr Kerrison was charged with possession of cannabis with intent to supply and being concerned in the supply of cannabis while Mr Rance admitted to possession of cannabis with intent and simple possession of cocaine.

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But during sentencing at Swansea Crown Court recently, the pair both escaped jail time.

According to the Mirror, Judge David Hale told the court text messages exchanged between both men showed they had a “much higher standard” of grammar and punctuation compared with normal drug transactions.

One of those messages, which Mr Kerrison sent to 18 contacts, read “Mad flavours from 10 tonight — let me know for more details”.

Mr Kerrison’s lawyer Matt Henson argued his client had high chances of gaining work after completing a construction course, while Mr Rance’s lawyer James McKenna said the teen, who was involved in the performing arts, was scheduled to begin a degree in 2019.

The judge said the men’s texts were of a higher standard than those usually composed by drug dealers. Picture: iStock

Judge Hale criticised the delay in sentencing both men, but noted they had been able to prove they were getting their lives back on track by keeping out of trouble in the year since they were caught by police in a library car park.

After they were searched, police found a bag belonging to Mr Rance filled with seven bags of cannabis and a small amount of cocaine.

Meanwhile, Mr Kerrison had two bags of cannabis, but after the men’s homes were also searched, police found two more large bags of cannabis in Mr Rance’s bedroom, worth around £1,200 ($A2161).

Judge Hale told the men “cannabis may be an experiment that you find pleasurable”, but noted that many lives ended up being “desperately affected” by the drug, the Mirror reported.

He said he did not want to affect the defendants’ chances of rehabilitation by jailing them, and instead slapped both with a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work.

“I hope a court never sees either of you again,” he said.

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