A “PROFESSIONAL” drug dealer from London has been handed a 20-month prison sentence at Oxford Crown Court.

Denny De Silva, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to one count of being concerned in the supply of Class B drug cannabis.

Prosecutor Matthew Walsh said the 22-year-old was arrested in Chalvey Close, Bicester, on July 22 this year at about 10.25am.

He said officers could not find any drugs when they searched De Silva – who gave them the false name Walid Hussain – but messages on his phone provided evidence to prosecute him.

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Mr Walsh said there were mentions on De Silva’s phone of “d” which was initially believed to be a reference to “dark”, meaning heroin. Eventually police accepted his explanation that it referred to “draw”, meaning cannabis.

He added that the defendant was initially arrested and held in a police station under observation for six days to see if he had swallowed the drugs or secreted it internally but nothing was discovered.

Mr Walsh also told Judge Patrick Ross that De Silva has 20 previous convictions for 30 offences, including robbery, burglary, possessing drugs, possessing an offensive weapon, and exposing himself in public.

Lisa Bald, defending, said her client had come from London to see his girlfriend and was a “one man band” when it came to drug dealing.

She said: “He is on a very slow course, but is getting some kind of maturity and is changing his ways.”

Judge Ross sentenced him to 20 months in prison and told him to pay a £120 victims’ surcharge when he is released.


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