A TEENAGER who was shopped by his own father for selling heroin and cocaine has been locked up for more than two years.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Leonard Badwal, 18, was “street dealing” to pay back debts owed by his heroin addict elder brother.

He pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

Prosecutor Gerald Hendron told the court that on January 2, Badwal’s father had called police to the family home on Airedale Road, Undercliffe, to say that his eldest son, Badwal’s brother, had been stealing items from the house, including the TV, to pay for his habit.

After officers were unable to gain entry, Badwal arrived and let them into the property, where his father was in a drunken state with an empty bottle of spirits.

While accusing his eldest son of stealing, he also told police that Badwal was actively dealing drugs.

On searching him, police found two wraps of cocaine and three wraps of heroin, with a further three bags of heroin recovered from his bedroom.

Mr Hendron described Badwal’s actions as “clearly street-level dealing”, also stating he was subject to a youth rehabilitation order at the time of the offences.

Tahir Hanif, for Badwal, said his client’s brother had been stealing from his parents, causing his father to call the police in desperation.

He said Badwal had “foolishly and naively” agreed to sell the drugs to try and pay off his brother’s debts.

“It was beyond his control, he was desperate for some help,” he said.

When interviewed, Badwal was said to have told police he “wanted to be remanded” to escape the situation.

Sentencing him to 28 months in a young offenders’ institution, Judge Neil Davey QC told Badwal he accepted he had played a “lesser rather than significant role” in the dealing, and that his actions were committed in a bid to help his brother.

“It is plain to me that there was no intention to make money for yourself,” he said.

“But the fact is that nobody forced you to do it, you were a volunteer.

“You chose to do it of your own free will.”

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