A ‘THIRD strike’ Class A drug dealer who racially abused the police officer arresting him and spat at him has been spared an immediate prison sentence after the case took more than four years to conclude.

Qaiser Rehman, 33, of Grantham Road, Great Horton, Bradford, was caught with drugs, cash and phones on July 26, 2019, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine and assaulting a police officer as an emergency worker.

Charlotte Noddings, prosecuting, said Rehman was a third strike Class A drug dealer.

She told the court he was spotted by the police at the wheel of a black BMW heading for Bailiff Bridge and followed on to Victoria Road in Halifax. When he was pulled over, he got something from his pocket and dropped it on to the street.

He smelt strongly of cannabis and tested positive for the Class B drug at the roadside.

Miss Noddings said that Rehman told the officer the drugs weren’t his. He hurled racial abuse and spat at him.

He had three phones with him and £177 in cash.

The package recovered from the street contained 30 wraps of crack cocaine and 34 of heroin, worth more than £500.

Rehman made no comment to all questions asked by the police.

He had four previous convictions for 19 offences, two for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Shufqat Khan said in mitigation that he had a drugs debt at the time and was put under pressure to pay it off. The drugs and cash seized by the police belonged to the dealer.

The delay in bringing the case to court was ‘unconscionable,’ Mr Khan said.

Rehman was arrested more than four years ago and his last conviction was in 2013 when he received a lengthy custodial sentence.

He had since married and his wife was expecting their first child.

He was running a garage business, showing endeavour and determination and being a law-abiding member of society.

Judge Colin Burn said Rehman committed the offences more than four years ago.

It was his third conviction for peddling Class A drugs and it was only a year after he had completed his licence period on an earlier sentence for drugs trafficking.

If he had been before the court when he should have been in late 2019, he couldn’t have avoided the minimum seven-year prison sentence but it would be unjust to impose that today.

Rehman received a postal requisition for these matters in April this year. There was ‘no excuse for the delay,’ Judge Burn said.

He indicated his guilty pleas to the drugs charges at the magistrates’ court ‘the best part of four years’ after the event.

He was now married, supporting a charity and expecting his first child.

Rehman was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, with ten days of rehabilitation activity and 200 hours of unpaid work. He must also attend the Building Better Relationships programme.