A DRUG dealer who needed his mum beside him in court after plying his trade in 'death' on the doorstep of Worcester Cathedral has been jailed.

Jacob Sealey was jailed for four and a half years for a County Lines 'franchise' selling crack cocaine and heroin in Worcester when he appeared at the city's crown court on Thursday.

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The 23-year-old displayed bizarre behaviour in the dock, wiping the glass with his sleeve, turning his back to the judge and peering down the stairs towards the cells.

Sometimes he held his head in his hands and at other times drummed his fingers on the glass or clapped his hands during the lengthy sentencing hearing before Judge Nicolas Cartwright.

The judge later told him: "Drug use brings unhappiness, misery, health problems and sometimes death to the users."

Previously Sealey had been able to sit with his mum in court and he did not have to go in the dock. But this time she had to make do with sitting at the back of court. Usually family members have to sit in the public gallery above the court.

Sealey admitted conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin between July 12 and 24, 2018. The court heard how Sealey and other, younger members of the group, had been bringing drugs to Worcester from Coventry and selling them to users, sometimes travelling back to Coventry to restock.

The defendant also admitted being in possession of diamorphine (heroin), a class A drug, with intent to supply in Northumberland Road, Coventry on February 1, 2017. He was found with 29 wraps of heroin and two mobile phones after running from police. He had been on bail for that offence when he started dealing in Worcester.

Siobhan Collins, prosecuting, said Sealey's fingerprints were found on a bag containing more than 90 wraps of class A drugs, seized near Worcester Cathedral.

Later analysis of the defendant's phone showed drug users stored under the prefix 'W' which the prosecution said was an abbreviation for 'white', a name for crack cocaine. Mrs Collins described undercover surveillance which recorded the movements of the defendants back and forth between Worcester and Coventry as part of the County Lines operation.

Both the Premier Inn and the Travelodge in Worcester were used during the period of the indictment. Incoming messages to Sealey's phone also revealed drugs activity.

One user texted: "Mate, I have been waiting over 20 minutes."

Another message read 'you on?', a common term asking if drugs are available, Mrs Collins said. Another read 'one of each', a short form for asking for both cocaine and heroin. Other messages complained about the size of the deals on offer. A message from Sealey himself to his runners read: "Mash them sales."

One drugs message read 'go Cathedral'.

Police arrested one of Sealey's runners as he left the Travelodge in Cathedral Square and walked over towards College Precincts, towards the alley.

In total officers seized from him, as he was counting cash, 99 wraps of crack cocaine and 46 of heroin. "The defendant's (Sealey's) fingerprints were on the bag containing the bulk of the drugs" said Mrs Collins.

Although Sealey of March Way, Coventry, was not arrested outside the Cathedral, police pulled him over in a Chevrolet where he was found to have £660 in cash behind the driver's sun visor. Sealey tried to claim he had just offered the other two dealers found in the car a lift, denied any involvement in possession of drugs with intent and said the money was from a car he had sold.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright said the defendant, in trying to vacate a previous guilty plea (which never happened) had delayed the case. Further exploration of the defendant's mental health problems had also caused delays.

Judge Cartwright said: "It was a well-organised, sophisticated and mature operation."

Sealey had been granted bail at Warwick Crown Court. Judge Cartwright said Sealey, instead of taking the chance then offered to him, 'decided not to do that and doubled down on your criminality by running what can properly be described as a class A dealing franchise out of Coventry into the county of Worcestershire'.

The judge ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and the seizure of the £660 in criminal cash.