A cannabis dealer's life turned to tragedy after his father was brutally murdered. He was caught by police after trying to escape on an electric bike.
Clinton Simms, 21, was seen acting suspiciously by police in Cardiff on January 16 and when he was apprehended he was found in possession cannabis. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard Simms was spotted at 8.10pm in Parker Road, Ely, but he tried to make his escape.
A burner phone was seized which was later found to be a drugs line operating between September 25, 2021 and January 16 last year. Also found were two bags of skunk, each weighing 4.1g. Simms was due to be meeting a man with the surname White in a Ford Fiesta when he was arrested.
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When police searched his home in Archer Crescent in Ely, his mother took them to his bedroom where they discovered a large bag of skunk weighing 100g. They also found 14 other quarter deals in bags, a machete, a lock knife, a knife in a sheath and a CS gas spray weapon. All of these items were found sprawled on the bed.
Prosecutor Jeffrey Jones said Simms was also found in possession of £6,600 and the total drugs found were worth £1,080. The defendant was also found to be in possession of cryptocurrency and had been searching for advice about buying a house outright. He pleaded guilty to posssession with intent to supply cannabis, being concerned in the supply of cannabis, possession of criminal property, and possession of a firearm.
In mitigation, defence barrister Hashim Salmman said his client's life had been blighted by "challenge and tragedy". In 2016, Simms' father Clint Simms was stabbed in the chest and died as a result of his injuries. Mr Simms murderer Stephen Pike was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 20 years.
Mr Salmman added: "(Clinton Simms) was raised in council accommdation by his mother. He witnessed and supported his mother's issues with alcohol and in 2016 his father was murdered. The defendant was 13-years-old, shortly later the defendant's grandmother passed away."
He also told the court Simms was kidnapped and beaten up 18-months-ago. Since then the defendant has been diagnosed with PTSD.
Sentencing, Recorder IWL Jones said: "You know as well as I do controlled drugs are a serious problem in our society, lives destroyed, families and so many young people in the dock at Crown court awaiting sentence... the drugs world is a dangerous world." Simms was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.
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