A Wrexham cocaine dealer has been put behind bars after police found thousands of pounds and drugs in his family home.

John Speed-Speirs, of Clayton Road in Pentre Broughton, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Monday morning.

The 30-year-old had admitted at a previous hearing that he was in possession of cocaine with intent to supply and that he was concerned in the supply of the drugs between August and October 2021.

Rosemary Proctor, prosecuting, told the court that in October 2021, police searched the defendant's home.

He was out, but his partner and baby were at home, she explained.

Officers located a damaged iPhone, 140 grams of cocaine, £2,040 in cash and drugs paraphernalia including scales, bags and a spoon with white powder residue on it.

READ MORE: Wrexham man admits killing 22-year-old through dangerous driving

Speed-Speirs turned up as the search was underway and when interviewed he told police he had a "sizeable drugs debt" and that he'd acted as a "custodian" for the substance in order to pay the debt off.

But the phone was downloaded and revealed incoming and outgoing messages indicative of drugs supply, including dealer tick lists.

When police checked his bank activity over the time period of the offending, it was discovered that some £81,000 had been paid into his account - but only one transfer could actually be shown to be a payment for drugs.

The cocaine found in the home was worth between £2,800 and £3,500 according to a police drugs expert.

Duncan Bould, defending, conceded that the cases warranted custody, but emphasised a point Judge Rhys Rowlands had already made to the court - that his client had faced a far longer wait for the matter to come to court than would have been the case in recent years.

In that time, he explained, the dad-of-three had secured well-paid work and was highly regarded by his employers.

READ MORE: Man avoids immediate prison sentence after attack involving knife

Mr Bould said: "It is a situation where, having inherited quite a lot of money at a young age, his immaturity led him to using cocaine and of course latterly being involved in the supply of it.

"Had it not been for the delay, his only mitigation would have been his guilty pleas.

"But the reality is he's used the last 20 months in an extremely positive way.

"He not only has a partner, but also three children for whom he is responsible; their lives will undoubtedly be altered were he to go into custody."

Judge Rhys Rowlands agreed with Mr Bould that if Speed-Speirs had been dealt with sooner, he'd likely have completed the custodial element of his sentence and would by now be eligible for release on licence.

While the Judge accepted the delay in proceedings would have caused Speed-Speirs a degree of stress, he told the defendant the drugs activity had not been a "one-off" and had happened over several months.

Make sure you don't miss the top court stories of the week by signing up to our free court newsletter

The Leader:

"Try as I might," he told Speed-Speirs, "I can't see that this is a case which can warrant a non-immediate custodial sentence.

"It seems you had children in your home but you thought nothing - or little - of having cocaine there.

"You'd have known the risks; and you took those risks, despite having a family.

"It's far too serious to be dealt with by anything other than an immediate custodial sentence."

Speed-Speirs received a two-and-a-half year custodial term.