Drug courier dad jailed

Father-of-five Stuart Bunten earned £400 from two courier trips.

Police went on to find a haul of heroin when they searched his Fielding Crescent home.

A total of 86.5 grams of heroin were seized and police believed it could have been worth around £5,200 at street value.

Bunten, 41, was jailed for a total of 32 months when he appeared for sentencing at Preston Crown Court. He had admitted three offences of possessing heroin with intent to supply and one of simple possession of cannabis.

Francis McEntee, prosecuting, said a search warrant was executed at the defendant's home in June last year. Packages of heroin were taken away. Two tubs containing cannabis were recovered from a shed.

Bunten accepted in police interview having been involved in couriering drugs. He said he suspected it was heroin.

"He explained he would receive a phone call in order to collect drugs from a certain point and then take them and drop them off at a specified point.

"He said he had done it on two prior occasions," said Mr McEntee.

He said the cannabis was skunk type and had been for his own use.

Defence barrister Virginia Hayton said Bunten was terrified at the prospect of going to prison.

Over the last 10 years he had been trying to keep his family together, Miss Hayton said.

"Out of sheer desperation and foolishness and something he bitterly regrets, he got involved as a courier on three occasions.

"He has tried his best to keep the family together, but unfortunately money has been a major problem. Custody would be an extremely hard lesson to him, with the added worries for his family."

Judge Norman Wright told Bunten, in imposing the jail term, that drug dealers thrive on individuals like him who were prepared to transport drugs.

He said: "You have very difficult home circumstances to contend with.

"Your children are suffering because of what you did.

"You should have sought honest endeavours to raise money, not participate in this evil trade."