A DAD who lost his job and began dealing drugs for ‘financial gain’ has been jailed after being found with more than £1,000 worth of cannabis.

Police watched Michael Horne ferry drugs back and forth from his family home to a chosen alleyway where he would carry out his drug deals.

Prosecuting, Peter Hussey said the 29-year-old was a unique case as he only chose to begin offending at the start of his late 20s.

Horne appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday for sentencing.

Mr Hussey told the courts how on October 4, 2021, Horne was seen carrying out deals, riding from an alley way on his bike to presumably deal cannabis and then riding back home to get more from his stash.

Police intercepted during a deal near his home on Orchard Street and found five deals of cannabis on his person.

They then carried out a search of his flat where a further 45 wraps were discovered and £310 in cash.

He was arrested and charged with possession with intention to supply.

“While under investigation for this matter, on December 9 he was arrested again,” Mr Hussey explained.

“The police were in the same vicinity and spotted the defendant on his bike heading down an alley way.

“He was suspected of dealing drugs in the alley way, returning home and returning back to deal some more.”

A police officer intervened once again, and the defendant pushed the officer in an attempt to free himself from arrest.

This time a handful of wraps were found on his person as well as 22 ‘ready-made deals’ that were recovered from his bum bag, along with a Nokia phone that was ‘constantly ringing’.

His apartment in Fearnhead was searched again and officers found 10 bags of cannabis, £206.50 in cash, and between £900 and £1,000 worth of cannabis deals.

Horne had three previous convictions, with one dating back to October of 2021 relating to similar offences where he was given a suspended sentence and a curfew which he breached by committing the current offences.

Defending, Olivia Beesley said: “Mr Horne knows he is at risk of immediate custody, and this will be his first time in custody.

“He lost his job during the pandemic. He was dealing really for financial gain.

“He is now employed at a builder’s merchants. He has been smoking cannabis for nine years, but he has stopped this.”

Recorder Peter Cowan said: “You are a determined drug dealer who will not stop. There must be punishment for your breach of compliance.”

Mr Cowan handed Horne a 12-month custodial sentence for the first charge of possession with intent to deal cannabis, as well as an eight-month sentence running consecutively for the similar offence dating back to October.

As Horne had breached his suspended sentence this was also activated but reduced to three months, making a total sentence of 15 months imprisonment.