Drug Dealer Sentenced to Jail as Anonymity Order Removed

An individual with a record of 59 prior criminal convictions has received a 26-month prison sentence from Londonderry Crown Court. John Paul Stokes, aged 24, residing at Old City Court in Derry, confessed to involvement in the supply of cocaine, pregabalin, and cannabis. He additionally pleaded guilty to an extra charge of possessing zopiclone, a medication available only by prescription. During the sentencing of Stokes, Judge Neil Rafferty also rescinded an anonymity order that had been previously put in place for the case. The judge informed Stokes that, notwithstanding his prior convictions—23 of which were for drug-related offenses—he had “continued to steam full ahead with your offending”. The judge stated, “A strong deterrent message must be sent out to dissuade others from offending in relation to supplying drugs in this city.” He added, “This type of offending is crushingly all too familiar to the court.” It was disclosed to the court that Stokes carried out these offenses over a period of twelve months, commencing in November 2022. According to the judge, law enforcement discovered the drug offenses in February 2023 after another person of interest was apprehended and their mobile phone was forensically examined. The examination revealed evidence indicating Stokes’s involvement in offering to provide cocaine and cannabis. The judge noted that Stokes “dropped out of sight for some time” prior to his eventual arrest and subsequent charging. He further stated that Stokes had attempted, without success, to damage his personal mobile phone, which was subsequently found to hold evidence of his participation in the supply of Class A, B, and C drugs. The judge also mentioned that while the probation service determined Stokes did not present a substantial danger to the general public, he was evaluated as having a high probability of re-offending. A defence barrister indicated that Stokes’s criminal activity occurred during a challenging personal period for him, and that he had confessed his guilt “at the earliest opportunity without any cock and bull stories”. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.