Two Swindon men have been sentenced to a total of eight years imprisonment after they were found guilty of dealing class A drugs to a 14-year-old.
Michael Turner, aged 22, of The Prinnels, and Kirklan Dunster, aged 20 of Grange Park, were sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on Friday after a jury found them both guilty of being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine.
On 29 March, officers attended an address in Swindon to arrest a 14-year-old boy in relation to an unrelated breach of bail offence. When officers located the juvenile, he was found in possession of a small amount of skunk cannabis and up to £280 worth of street deals of crack cocaine.
Enquiries were carried out by the North Dedicated Crime Team (DCT) which linked the 14-year-old to Turner and Dunster through DNA and messages online.
Both pleaded not guilty but were found guilty by a jury and Turner was sentenced to four-and-a-half years imprisonment while Dunster was sentenced to three-and-a-half years.
Sergeant Georgina Green, of the DCT, said: “A thorough investigation was carried out by PC Matthew Barnett which showed the DNA present on the crack cocaine packaging matched that of convicted drug dealer Michael Turner. Further investigation through social media found a string of messages to the juvenile from Dunster, revealing him as the owner of the drugs.
“Both Dunster and Turner had exploited the boy, who was just 14 at the time of the offence, and considered vulnerable because of his young age.
“Dunster put this young male in fear of his own personal safety through messages sent via social media. It was certainly in the public interest for this matter to be dealt with appropriately in court.
“We will always take a robust stance to those preying on the vulnerable in our communities, and ensure that we put the relevant safeguarding in place for victims.
“If anyone has any information about drug dealing in their area, I would encourage them to report this on 101, or to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Information will always be dealt with in confidence.”
