THREE drug dealers found with cannabis and cocaine in their car have been spared jail after their case took three years to come to court.

Jasmine Calland, Dane Bradley and Russell Pearson were arrested by police on July 9, 2019, after being pulled over in Warrington and being found in possession of more than £5,000 worth of cannabis.

Police stopped the Audi being driven by Calland, aged 24 at the time, at 11.10pm in the evening, and after searching the vehicle officers discovered a black bucket situated in the rear of the car which held five zipped bags containing 9g of cannabis.

Two mobile phones were also recovered from the vehicle which were found to have flare messages detailing the supply of cannabis and the selling of cocaine, with agreements of £100 to be paid for every quarter of cocaine sold.

The following day, a property was searched on Sandy Lane in Lowton and further drugs were recovered, including 112 MDMA tablets worth between £560 and £820 and 15.12g cocaine.

All three defendants appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, November 14, after pleading guilty to drug offences.

Calland, aged 27 and of Plank Lane in Leigh, admitted three counts of possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs.

Meanwhile Bradley, aged 24 and of Borough Road in St Helens, and Pearson, aged 33 and of Yarwood Avenue in Wythenshawe, both pleaded guilty to single counts each of possession with intent to supply cannabis.

Julian Nutter, representing Calland, said she was ‘immature’ at the time of the incident and that she was ‘suffering from a personality disorder’, but has had no arrests since.

The barrister also mentioned that she had completed 412 days of qualifying curfew, which he said was equivalent to a 12-month prison sentence.

The court also heard that Callend is now in full-time employment running a business at her mother’s yard in Leigh.

“For the first time in her life she has turned it around,” Mr Nutter said.

In defence of Bradley, Jonathan Barker told the court that the defendant was ‘just shy of his 21st birthday’ and lived a chaotic and unpredictable lifestyle.

He was sent to prison in July 2019 and was released May last year, with there being a ‘significant turning point’ since his release.

In addition, Stella Hayden, defending Pearson, said that the defendant had made ‘substantial’ differences in his life since the arrest, is now working full-time in construction and his last conviction before this was in 2014.

Due to the court hearing being set back more than three years after the arrests were made judge Gary Woodhall told the court he was minded to suspended the sentences of imprisonment.

“The delay meant there was a real prospect for rehabilitation. Delays of this sort bring the justice system into disrepute,” he said.

Had they been sentenced at an earlier date, judge Woodhall said: “I am perfectly satisfied you would have received custodial sentences.”

Calland was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence, as well as 180 hours of unpaid work.

Bradley meanwhile was ordered to undertake 120 hours of unpaid work, while Pearson was told he must complete 90 hours.