A schoolboy caught street dealing drugs with a street value of almost £3,000 was spared three years behind bars and told by a judge: “Get back on the football pitch where you belong”.

Police Community Support Officers saw the 16-year-old drop a plastic bag containing 109 wraps of heroin and 66 wraps of crack cocaine in the Tyersal area of Bradford on October 23 last year.

The boy had £100 cash when he was arrested soon afterwards at his home in the city, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Prosecutor Duncan Ritchie said the teenager, now 17, had pleaded guilty to possessing the Class A drugs with intent to supply.

Mr Ritchie said he would have faced a prison sentence measured in years if he was an adult.

The boy’s solicitor advocate, Phillip Ainge, said he was “chastened and contrite” and had no criminal record.

“He is a young man with potential,” Mr Ainge said.

Judge Jonathan Rose said the teenager “richly deserved to go to jail for carrying this filth around the city”.

“You should be deeply ashamed of yourself and I actually believe that you are. Your life is just starting, young man, but it seems to me that you want to throw it all away.

“If you want to go to prison and spend a long time in there, this is the way to go about it.” Judge Rose warned the teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, he was heading for a five-year stretch if he committed similar offences in the future.

The boy’s mother was in court to support him and after reading a letter from the teenager and testimonials from other family members, Judge Rose said he could not understand why the teenager had stopped playing football.

“Get yourself back on the football pitch, that is where you belong,” he told him.

He sentenced the boy to a Youth Rehabilitation Order with intensive supervision and surveillance for 12 months.

Judge Rose said he would ensure he did not stay out until 3am by imposing an overnight electronically monitored curfew.

  • Read the full story in Thursday's T&A