A former company director who acted as courier for a £28,500 consignment of cocaine is behind bars today.
Christopher Hobaiter, 32, had never been in trouble before he was caught with the half-kilo of high-purity narcotics in his Volvo.
The cocaine-addicted courier was spotted and followed by police as he was seen on his phone in the car on Kirkleatham Lane, Redcar.
When stopped and asked whether there was anything in the vehicle, he replied: “There may be something in a bag in the boot.”
Officers found a plastic bag in a brown satchel, containing 499g of 84%-pure cocaine, at about 3.50pm on October 17 last year.
The package of Class A drugs was valued at about £28,500, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Hobaiter, of High Street, Yarm, pleaded guilty to possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, his first conviction.
Uzma Khan, defending, said Hobaiter candidly admitted that he committed the offence because of his drug problem and drug debt at the time.
She said: “There was no financial gain. It was simply to deal with the debt.
“This was isolated and very much out of character.
“He stands before the court incredibly remorseful.
“Save for this offence, he had led an otherwise positive and very much criminal-free lifestyle.
“He comes from a reputable, professional and very supportive family.
“Normally he would act as a conscientious, law-abiding citizen.”
Ms Khan added he “made a poor judgment” acting as a courier knowing what he was carrying but not the amount or purity.
She said he made no comment in police interviews, perhaps concerned about the repercussions.
He accepted he had very small amounts of two other drugs.
But after a house search and the seizure of three phones, no other incriminating evidence was found suggesting he was a dealer, said Ms Khan.
He since strived to tackle his addiction and came to court with several references, supported by friends, family and agencies helping him with his drug problem.
He left his role as a director to prevent association and maintain the reputation of an unnamed company.
Ms Khan said a long prison sentence would devastate his friends and family, and she asked the judge to pass an “exceptional” suspended sentence.
Judge John Walford told Hobaiter: “Your case is in my judgment a classic example of the dangers of Class A drugs and the evils of those who peddle them.
“I’m prepared to accept that you are and always have been an otherwise decent hard-working young man from a good home and background.
“But you fell into the grips of cocaine. You incurred debts to those who supplied you.
“And because of the threats or coercion to which you were made subject, you felt it necessary to commit these serious criminal offences.
“I’m satisfied that you’ve done all that you could have done to change your life.
“You’ve stopped using cocaine. You’ve undertaken voluntary work. I’m satisfied that you’ve showed tangible remorse.”
If deemed to have played a significant role in the drug chain, Hobaiter could have faced a sentence of up to 10 years.
Judge Walford decided he played a lesser role, but said it would be wrong to suspend the inevitable prison term.
He jailed Hobaiter for two-and-a-half years.
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