Man doing 'favour for friend' chased by police after being caught selling drugs outside pub

The incident happened in the side street beside the Hansom Cab pub in Leicester city centre
-Credit: (Image: Google)


Police chased a man through Leicester city centre after spotting him selling cannabis in a side street near a pub. Declan Clarke was watched by officers in an unmarked police car as he left the Hansom Cab pub in the city's Humberstone Gate.

He had a 10-second interaction with a man just around the corner in nearby Yeoman Street in which an item changed hands. The Leicestershire Police officers approached Clarke, 39, of Crayford Way, Netherhall, Leicester, and he ran off.

The officers chased him on foot. He was later caught and a search revealed about £5 worth of cannabis hidden in his sock. He pleaded guilty to possessing Class B drugs with intent to supply at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Friday (September 6).

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The court heard that he had confessed to the officers as he was arrested and told them: "I've got a little bit of weed. That's literally £5 of weed."

The cannabis weighed about 2g and Clarke said he was not a drug dealer and was just doing a favour for a friend by selling him some of the drugs he had for his own personal use.

Rakesh Morjaria, representing Clarke, who is a father-of-two, asked the magistrates to be lenient as Clarke had only agreed to sell the other man some of his cannabis as a favour. He said: "Mr Clarke doesn't supply or deal in drugs.

"He simply came out of the pub for a cigarette and an acquaintance asked him if he could spare some cannabis. He took some from his personal stash, charging £5."

He said the police had taken his client's phone and no evidence of drug dealing had been found on it. Mr Morjaria said: "He finds himself guilty of this offence but this is not what he does by profession."

Clarke was given a 12-month community order with 40 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay a £114 victim surcharge and £40 towards costs.