Carlisle student jailed for four years after supplying heroin

Published at 09:28, Friday, 04 December 2009

A man who overcame a drug addiction to study towards a PhD has been jailed for four years for dealing heroin after again falling into his old ways.

Lee Gillon, of Carlisle: Jailed for a total of four years after admitting three charges of supplying heroin, possessing heroin and possession of cannabis

Lee Gillon, 38, was found with seven grammes of the class A drug in his Carlisle home after police raided it in August.

Gillon said he was selling the drugs – which had a total street value of £1,400 – for a Liverpool drug dealer to pay back debts and fund his own habit.

Gillon, described a “very intelligent man” by sentencing judge Paul Batty QC, admitted three charges of supplying heroin, possessing heroin and possession of cannabis.

But Judge Batty said that the promising student was just one side of a man who had played very serious and “significant” role selling drugs in the city.

Carlisle Crown Court heard how Gillon had achieved a first-class degree and masters in Manchester and was studying towards a doctorate when he suffered an accident which left him with back pain. After taking some opium-based pain killers he fell back into the grips of heroin.

He then ran up debts with dealers in Liverpool and started to sell the drug in Carlisle for the gang.

Prosecutor Kim Whittlestone said that on August 25, police raided Gillon’s home in Parham Drive in Belle Vue and found three wraps of heroin, cash, scales, tinfoil and wraps. A police dog searched the garden and also found a plastic tube containing three wraps of heroin which had been buried.

Miss Whittlestone said: “The defendant was arrested and interviewed and said he was a relapsed heroin addict and had run up debts with a number of Liverpool dealers.

“He said they has provided the drugs and he was selling half an ounce to an ounce a week.”

Defence barrister Gregory Hoare said Gillon’s case was unusual.

He added: “The defendant is well outside the category of people we normally deal with in these circumstances.”

He said Gillon became a mature student in 1999 after turning his life around but when he damaged his back he was given opium-based pain killers by a friend which led him to re-use heroin.

Mr Hoare said: “This is an illustration of the corrosive and inducing power of drugs. It is a chilling story.”

Sentencing Gillon, Judge Batty said: “You were involved in the significant and serious supply of heroin that was coming into this city from Liverpool.

“You were not a low level dealer doing this to fund your own habit. You were higher up than that.”

Gillon was sent to prison for a total of four years.