Melksham drug dealer is spared jail (From This Is Wiltshire)

A Melksham man who supplied ecstasy to friends in exchange for food and lodgings was spared a prison sentence when he appeared at North West Wiltshire Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Samuel Peter Beckenham, 21, of Portman Road, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of ecstasy and was given a community order, which includes 150 hours of unpaid work.

He’ll also be under supervision for the next 12 months and was ordered to pay £85 for court costs.

Beckenham was arrested following a raid at his family home in January.

During the bust police found an envelope with the defendant’s name on which contained 5.24g of the drug in six different plastic bags.

Officers checked Beckenham’s mobile phone and found the drugs were lined up for prospective deals.

Prosecutor Michelle Hewitt, read a police statement, saying Beckenham had been intent on supplying the drug, estimated to be worth between £60 and £180 to friends and other associates.

Last year Beckenham, had returned to Melksham after living in London, to help care for his sick grandfather, who died in August.

Alexis Pink, defending, said that Beckenham left the family home following his grandfather’s death and started taking drugs, later giving ecstasy to friends in exchange for somewhere to stay.

During this time, he would regularly return to his family home to retrieve his mail.

She said: “He accepts this was a stupid thing to have done and he also explained that he was quite frankly not thinking straight and under a great deal of stress after his grandfather’s death.”

Following the raid in January, Beckenham gave up drugs, moved back into Portman Road and started volunteering with charities.

Miss Pink said: “He has very much changed from this time last year and is in a very different place and is taking this very seriously.”

Presiding magistrate Felicity Dowell ordered the ecstasy and any equipment connected with the drugs be destroyed.

She said: “We are delighted that you have got your head straight and got yourself going forwards as actually this is quite a serious offence and supplying drugs would normally carry a prison sentence.”