Drug dealer found in Sherborne with a machete given 'unduly lenient' sentence
The Court of Appeal have now given him 3 years in prison
Last updated 7th Dec 2020
A man who was found in possession of stun guns, knives, drugs and cash following neighbourhood patrols in West Dorset has been jailed for three years following a review by the Court of Appeal who found his deferred sentence 'unduly lenient'.
Lewis Jay Davis, 25 and of Yeo Valley, Stoford in Yeovil, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 25 September 2020 after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, possession of MDMA and cannabis, possession of criminal property, possession of prohibited weapons and possession of a lock knife.
He was told his sentence would be deferred for six months, Friday 12 March 2021, with the condition that he engaged with counselling and therapy, did not reoffend or take drugs and maintained his job and personal life.
However, the case was referred to the Court of Appeal and on Wednesday 2 December 2020 the sentence was found to be unduly lenient and he was sentenced to an immediate three-year prison term.
At around 5.40pm on Friday 10 July 2020 neighbourhood officers attended the car park at the rear of the Half Moon Pub in Half Moon Street in Sherborne.
Davis was spotted inside his BMW. As he got near the vehicle, an officer saw the curved tip of a rusted machete lying in the rear foot well.
Davis told the officer he had the weapon to help his grandfather hack down bushes.
A search of the car was carried out and officers recovered a machete, a stun gun, a lock knife, packets containing white powder, cannabis, a mobile phone and a bank card belonging to another person.
The following day officers carried out a further search of his address where a large number of items were found including two stun guns, cash, scales, more mobile phones, white powder and an axe. The drugs were tested and were found to be cocaine and MDMA.
Police Sergeant Matt Whetham, of Sherborne Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:
"This discovery was as a result of proactive patrols by local neighbourhood officers and I would like to commend them for their commitment to tackling drug misuse in our community.
"Davis has now been jailed for his offences and I hope this reaffirms our commitment to tackling the supply of drugs that can blight our communities."