A judge has condemned a drugs gang boss for "spreading the poison" on Bradford's streets as he jailed him for eight years.

Shabir Khan, 22, who steered clear of using drugs himself, was caught along with his brother, and another man and his girlfriend, peddling heroin and crack cocaine.

Jailing him at Bradford Crown Court yesterday, Judge Peter Benson, said: "You persistently went out and spread this poison on the streets of this city.

"It makes it worse that you are not yourself a user of drugs - you just went out making money."

Khan, of Highfield Place, Manningham, pleaded guilty to charges of supplying heroin and crack cocaine on several occasions last year.

His brother Nazeer Khan, 21, of the same address, was jailed for three years after admitting similar charges.

Yasmeen Khan, 21, of Kensington Street, Girlington, was spared prison because she a severely handicapped child to care for. She was given a two-year sentence, suspended for two years, after she admitted charges of supplying heroin and crack cocaine.

Her partner Yasser Nawaz, 22, of the same address, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs and was sentenced to two and a half years.

Richard Wright, prosecuting, said that in March last year police were watching in Midland Road as a known drug user waited for supplies to be delivered.

A silver Ford car arrived, driven by Shabir Khan with Yasmeen Khan in the front passenger seat. The user handed over £15 for two wraps of heroin.

The car had been hired under a false name in Manchester, using a driving licence belonging to a relative of Yasser Nawaz.

Officers moved in and arrested the user, but the car was driven off at speed. It was later found parked in Parkfield Road and Shabir Khan was also arrested.

Yasmeen Khan, who had been dropped off earlier, was later traced and wraps of heroin and crack cocaine were found on her.

Inside the car was a "drugs delivery list" of names, the type of drugs they required and locations for deals.

Four months later, while on police bail, Shabir Khan supplied heroin to undercover police officers in the Manningham area, said Mr Wright.

Then in September and October, both he and his brother were involved in separate drug deals in the Carlisle Road and Lumb Lane area.

Barrister Gerald Hendron, for Shabir Khan, said his client came from a good family and was married with two children.

He had "foolishly persisted" in street-level dealing.

David Taylor, for Yasser Nawaz, said his client's role was as the person with the calling cards.

"He was stupid enough to be at the end of the phone whenever some punter happened to ring," he added.

Passing sentence on the four, Judge Benson said they had all played different parts in the activity.

After learning that Yasmeen Khan had given birth to a severely-handicapped baby boy last August and was committed to caring for him, the judge said he was able to take "a merciful course" and suspend her jail term.