A DRUG dealer who peddled crack cocaine and heroin yards from a primary school has been locked up for four years.
Benjamin McGreevy, 26, of Roseneath Avenue, Levenshulme, was snared by an undercover operation launched by police concerned about dealing in the south Manchester suburb.
Manchester Crown Court heard that McGreevy used a junction opposite Alma Park Primary School as a 'meeting point'. Last May he sold undercover officers drugs thirty yards from the school playground where children were enjoying morning breaktime.
Who else has been sent to prison in January? Sentences and photo gallery
A groundworker by trade, McGreevy was sentenced on Monday for supplying class 'a' drugs and being concerned in the supply of class 'a' drugs between
May and June this year after admitting the charges at an earlier hearing.
The dad-of-one, who has a previous conviction of posessing cocaine, claimed he turned to dealing after running up drug debts through his own addiction.
Undercover officers
Prosecuting, Neil Mehra told the court that on May 13 last year McGreevy drove a heroin dealer to meet the undercover officers, who posed as drug users.
In the days that followed McGreevy fulfilled their orders for heroin before offering them crack cocaine. He even used his father's work van to meet them on one occasion.
Defending, Shirlie Duckworth said her client had been 'shortsighted' about the consequences of his behaviour.
But Judge Roger Thomas QC said that if McGreevy did not know drug dealers were punished with lengthy jail sentences than he 'can't be reading the Manchester Evening News or keeping his ear very close to the ground'.
Miss Duckworth also said that her client, who she described as 'a very important cog in a larger wheel', used the primary school because it was a 'focal point' and an 'easily identifiable meeting point'.
Sentencing, Judge Thomas QC said the fact that McGreevy arranged to sell heroin and crack cocaine 'very near a primary school at 11.30am in the morning' was an 'aggravating feature'.
He added: "The reason it's aggravating is not that on the face of it you were going to supply class 'a' drugs to primary school children, but because you exposed such young children to supply. They could see it, they could experience it, they could know what's involved with it and down that road they may go, unfortunately, in time."
Who else has been sent to prison in January? Sentences and photo gallery
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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
thoughtful, East of Manchester (19/01/2010 at 11:55)
Bring back the birch !
Ace Riley, outsidethebox (19/01/2010 at 12:07)
A man after my own heart,its time for the birch to be re-introduced into british "justice" we are far to soft on crime in britain and the only way to stop most crime is to crack down on it.And release people in prison for not paying their TV licence ect. deal with debters a different way and stop putting them in prison.
Brook Lands (19/01/2010 at 12:16)
thoughtful,
A better idea would be to legalise all drugs, then scumbags like this wouldn't be able to sell their death in a baggie anywhere, let alone outside a school.
Well done to GMP for catching him too.
Black Flag (19/01/2010 at 12:20)
So, in summary, stop being soft on crime, but first, be softer on crime.
dickdasterdly, stockport (19/01/2010 at 12:37)
Justified True Belief , - ... (19/01/2010 at 12:39)
Even a “Thicko” like me can see that Ace is differentiating between crimes that deserve prison time and crimes that do not.
Obviously they both fall under the umbrella name of “crime” , but if Ace had to type a full “bullet proof” qualified description for his argument, he would still be typing away now.
salfordrat (19/01/2010 at 12:43)
So, in summary, stop being soft on crime, but first, be softer on crime.
Black Flag,
No BF - in summary Ace is an idiot. Nuff said.
Ace Riley, outsidethebox (19/01/2010 at 12:57)
Marquis de Sade et la petit monge tout (19/01/2010 at 13:04)
Hurry O'Caine - the Irish Whirlind, Typhoon Tipperary (19/01/2010 at 13:06)
chillbill, oldham (19/01/2010 at 13:07)
Black Flag (19/01/2010 at 13:12)
Oh, the irony.
So Ace, you're going back on your belief that cracking down hard on petty crime prevents it escalating. I never thought I'd see you advocating the softly softly approach.
Surely, as well as the community work, you must want people birched for non-payment of TV licences too.
Justified True Belief , - ... (19/01/2010 at 13:29)
Its time to decide what sentencing policy we want to employ, and then to make that clear and transparent. None of this “sentencing to 10 years but serve 3 etc”. Then if we need more prison places, build them.
Hey but what do I know, according to Black Flag I am just a Thicko.
Angie33 , Manchester (19/01/2010 at 13:35)
Ace Riley, outsidethebox (19/01/2010 at 13:37)
I have lots of friends and i go to the island a lot and the people of the island do voice their oppinions that since the banning of the birch things have got worse,break ins car crimes and violent crimes have got worse.What a shame the island used to be a great place to live but things have changed for the worse .And like you have said things are kept quiet about the amount of crime.I even read last year that they had problems with illegal immigrants working ?.
Ace Riley, outsidethebox (19/01/2010 at 13:41)
I dont see non payment of a tv licence as a crime against humanity.Most people who fail to pay for the licence are low paid people or people who are on a pension.These problems of non payment of a TV licence can be sorted other ways.
Ace Riley, outsidethebox (19/01/2010 at 13:48)
crippin, Rusholme (19/01/2010 at 13:50)
Hurry O'Caine - the Irish Whirlind, Typhoon Tipperary (19/01/2010 at 14:06)
"The likes of BFcand salfordrat, and I include myself here, dont wish or need to be popular and if too many agreed with them would feel they were losing it."
Using the same tactics as the Labour Party I see.
Black Flag (19/01/2010 at 14:21)
So crime is acceptable if you are low paid or a pensioner? Funny how you were all for the birch for shoplifters, without being too concerned about whether or not they were poor or pensioners.
I don't know what you are trying to imply by the term "crime against humanity," but I do know that the TV licence dodger is illegally gaining a subsidy from me, whereas a trade between a drug dealer and a drug user doesn't directly affect anybody else, so personally, in principle, I'd like to see the TV licence evader facing a tougher punishment.
"Legalising drugs isnt the answer just look at the problems we have with alcohol since that was legalised to be sold 24/7"
It's made almost no difference, regardless of what the hysterical try to say. For a more informative comparison with alcohol, you'd be better off looking at the prohibition era US.
Ace Riley, outsidethebox (19/01/2010 at 14:22)
I thought that the idea of democracy is the ideas of the masses are taken into consideration when making things like laws? otherwise we wouldnt get any party or politician into power?
"If laws and important decisions were made on the ideas of the masses we'd still be living like neanderthals. " if things are not taken with the public in mind we have a "dictatorship" where the leader makes the laws ect for us without any say from the public.
Ignoramus, Manchester (19/01/2010 at 14:36)
If it costs millions to police then this isn’t so bad, when you consider how much revenue it must undoubtedly raise.
And as you are keen to get tough on crime then legalising drugs is the perfect answer, then we can prosecute the criminals and let the people who take drugs and don’t turn to criminal activities (I think you would shake your jowls in disbelief if you knew how many people were talking about here) get on with their life’s without interference.
And out of curiosity is your suggestion for a prison or a hospital? I’m having difficulty seeing how it could be both at once, you want a totally drugs free prison that also doubles as a hospital, I think you should try some drugs you might make more sense.
Brook Lands (19/01/2010 at 14:38)
Black Flag (19/01/2010 at 14:53)
Not really. As Edmund Burke said:
"Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion."
Ace Riley, outsidethebox (19/01/2010 at 14:56)
Brook Lands is this what people want in their areas?Once you legalise something like drugs theres no going back.When ive been to holland ive seen the other side of legalised drugs and everything that goes with it...Infact the cannabis that the government wanted to sell was the type that you infuse in a drink and not smoke because most governments cannot be seen to promote smoking.