‘Chinese whispers’ may have delayed the sentencing of an Oxford drug dealer, a court heard.

Bobby Ahmed, 43, was due before Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday morning to be sentenced for selling crack cocaine and heroin in Blackbird Leys in August.

On a previous occasion, a judge at the St Aldates courthouse had adjourned the case so Ahmed could be assessed by a representative from drug charity Turning Point to see whether he was suitable for a trailblazing scheme that sees addicts sent to rehab rather than prison.

Ahmed’s barrister, Peter du Feu, told the crown court on Tuesday that the protocol had recently changed, with the probation service also now asked for a report on any defendant being considered for a place at a residential drug rehab.

He suggested that ‘Chinese whispers’ may have been responsible for the message getting lost in translation.

That meant Judge Michael Gledhill KC, the circuit judge hearing the case on Tuesday morning, only had a pre-sentence report from the probation service – and Turning Point had not assessed the defendant.

Mr du Feu asked for the case to be adjourned again so a representative from the charity could speak to Ahmed, who has previously been required to go on drug rehabilitation programmes as part of past community orders.

If assessed as suitable for the scheme, Ahmed will have to spend several more months on remand at HMP Bullingdon to ensure he is free from drugs before being transferred to a residential rehab in another county.

Judges at Oxford Crown Court are usually keen to emphasise that a place on the scheme is not a ‘soft option’. Generally attached to a three-year community order, if the person breaches the order by dropping out of rehab they risk being re-sentenced and sent to prison.

The scheme, run in partnership between HMP Bullingdon, Turning Point and the court, is typically reserved for defendants with an entrenched drug habit.

In recent months it has been offered to those being sentenced for burglary or drug dealing, where a relatively long prison sentence would otherwise be the inevitable punishment.

Ahmed, of Trefoil Place, Oxford, has already pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

On Tuesday, he was remanded in custody by Judge Gledhill to return to court on October 17 for assessment by Turning Point. If deemed to be ineligible for the drug rehabilitation scheme he will be sentenced on that date.

Matthew Knight appeared for the Crown Prosecution Service. The facts of the case were not opened by Mr Knight.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

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