A HEROIN and cocaine dealer caught with £3,000 of drugs in York has kept his freedom because of police and prosecution delays.

Police first arrested Nicholas Charles Holman, 21, on May 2, 2018 near Askham Bar car park. He had £160 of heroin on him in individually wrapped deals, said Felicity Hemlin, prosecuting.

On March 20, 2019, they arrested him in central York.

This time he had cocaine worth up to £3,120 on him and messages on his phone revealed he had been street dealing.

Recorder Tahir Khan told Holman: “People who commit serious offences should be dealt with as quickly as possible and a delay of nearly a year for a forensic examination to come back is too long.

“I cannot ignore the fact that we are now two and a half years since the first offence.”

He passed a two year prison sentence but suspended it for two years on condition Holman does 35 days’ rehabilitative activities, 120 hours’ unpaid work and a rehabilitative programme.

Holman, now of The Avenue, Harrogate, pleaded guilty to possessing heroin and cocaine with intent to supply.

His solicitor Keith Whitehouse told York Crown Court sitting in Leeds there had been an “inordinate delay” between Holman’s arrest and when he was charged.

He had no previous convictions for drug offences and had been “manipulated” by others higher up in the drug supply chain, said the defence lawyer.

Holman was vulnerable because of his “awful” childhood during which he had lacked support and not got the help he needed from statutory authorities.

Since his arrests, he had turned his life around, got himself a job and was starting to support his mother.