An Andover man described as a “lethal weapon” at the time of his arrest has been given a suspended sentence after ‘turning his life around’.

Reuben Twigg, of Walworth Road, Picket Piece, was arrested on Christmas Eve 2019 after he was pulled over by police officers. He was found to be carrying cocaine, as well as other drug paraphernalia, and had pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply.

The Recorder of Winchester, Judge Morris, handed the 27-year-old a two year sentence, suspended by two years, after considering mitigating factors in his case.

She said: “I’m going to give you a chance today. It’s now about keeping on the straight and narrow.

“If you stay out of trouble for the next two years that can be the end of the matter. If I see you again Mr Twigg, you know what will happen.”

Twigg was pulled over by officers on December 24 2019 after driving an uninsured Ford Fiesta on Shepherds Spring Lane, to which he had pleaded guilty in May of last year. Officers were said to be concerned about his driving and tested him for drugs, receiving a positive result for cocaine.

He was found to have 384 grams of benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine, in a litre of his blood, where the legal limit is 50. Earlier this year, he was fined for drug driving at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court, as well as given a driving ban of a year.

On searching him, officers found nothing initially, but found £660 in a wallet when searching the car. Twigg admitted to officers that a phone discovered by them was used to arrange drug deals, and produced a quantity of cocaine along with scales and empty bags.

At Winchester Crown Court on February 23, prosecutor Ms Hodge said that while Twigg was “a man of previously good character”, he had played a “significant role at the lower end” of the drugs distribution network, and was advertising the sale of cocaine to 20 other phone numbers.

His defence, Ms Roberts, said that he had become involved through casual use, and developed a more expensive habit as those in his social circle asked him to buy cocaine on their behalf. She said he “became trapped in the cycle of funding the habit”, and was “grateful for the police’s intervention.”

Judge Morris interjected, saying that Twigg “could have killed somebody” while driving.

“Behind the wheel of a car he was a lethal weapon,” she said. “It doesn’t bare thinking about the consequences.”

The defence then continued, saying that Twigg was now in a “more stable” position, having had a job with a construction company for the past year, and completing a 12 step programme with cocaine anonymous, so that he has been clean of the drug for 16 weeks.

His partner is also pregnant with their first child, with Roberts saying that, in her client’s words: “nothing will make me go back to drugs”.

The defence called on the judge to be ‘merciful’ and give a suspended sentence to Twigg.

Following legal argument, Judge Morris said: “If you didn’t understand before, I think you understand now how seriously the courts take those who sell drugs. Ordinarily, that means I have to look at sentencing guidelines of four-and-a-half years, and if that doesn’t help people realise how serious this sort of offence is I don’t know what will.

“You’ve lost your good character now… all for a quick profit. I’ve read the letters written on your behalf and I agree this isn’t a case with significant aggravating features.”

She said that Twigg had “taken the opportunity to turn things around,” and that these mitigating factors would reduced his sentence to three years. Having pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, he also was given a third off his sentence as credit, bringing him to two years.

Judge Morris then suspended this sentence for two years. In addition, she ordered Twigg to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in the next year, as well as to pay costs of £340 and a victim surcharge of £149.

The drugs and bags confiscated from him were ordered destroyed, while the £660 found on him at the time of his arrest was forfeited.

She warned Twigg that if he didn’t keep to the restrictions, he would return to court.

She said: “I’m going to give you a chance today. It’s now about keeping on the straight and narrow.

“If you stay out of trouble for the next two years that can be the end of the matter. If I see you again Mr Twigg, you know what will happen.”