Evidence of drug dealing found on man's mobile phone

AFTER stumbling upon a drug dealer's phone in a gutter, police unearthed condemning evidence.

- BY ADAM EVERETT

Jake Duffy had taken self-portraits on the handset, which he also used to acquire and deal thousands of pounds worth of cannabis.

The device was discovered unexpectedly when officers responded to an assault report. Despite the incriminating evidence, Duffy avoided jail time due to the case taking over two years to reach court proceedings.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that on December 23, 2022, after an event that would consequently result in Duffy, from Dudleston Road in Ellesmere Port, receiving a two-year sentence for wounding with intent, police were dispatched to an address on Highfield Road in Rock Ferry.

At the location, they retrieved a black iPhone from the gutter outside a neighbouring home, which, through selfies and linked social media profiles, was tied to the 24-year-old.

Prosecutor Stella Hayden said that the phone contained messages from December 7 to 20 of that year, revealing his role in cannabis distribution. This included texts relating to acquiring the class B drug for sale and promoting his stock to buyers, as well as “tick lists” suggesting debts up to £2,000 and “references to wages owed to others”.