A 73-year-old pensioner from Wolverhampton, Paul Lees, has been sentenced to a suspended prison term after admitting to driving a vehicle used in drug dealing. Lees claimed he was compelled to assist a drug dealer known only as ‘Jimmy’ due to outstanding debts of between £500 and £600.
Lees was caught driving a Vauxhall Astra with co-defendant Manpreet Singh, 26, as Singh sold crack cocaine to users in Wolverhampton. Police stopped the vehicle on New Street at around 5.30pm on 3 September 2024, after spotting it during routine patrol. Despite attempts to evade arrest, officers found 29 wraps of crack cocaine on the front seat, as well as £203 in cash, handwritten notes linked to drug dealing, and mobile phones containing relevant messages.
Court proceedings revealed Lees has been a class A drug addict for over 30 years and has been prescribed methadone for the past two decades. He admitted that driving others around to facilitate drug sales was a means to repay his debts to ‘Jimmy’. Lees no longer owes any money to the dealer.
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Defending Lees, Babir Adris said his client’s last conviction was in 2003 and that he is currently on benefits and estranged from his family, living alone in Wolverhampton. Adris emphasised that Lees was pressured into involvement and did not directly handle drug sales or proceeds.
Singh, who admitted possession with intent to supply crack cocaine, appeared via video link from HMP Maidstone. He pleaded guilty and took responsibility for his actions, explaining that following his father’s death, he faced financial hardship compounded by the rising cost of living. Singh acknowledged borrowing money from a lender who became increasingly demanding, eventually requiring him to take on work under coercion to repay debts, with threats made against his and his family’s safety.
Singh had previously been sentenced in 2025 at Isleworth Crown Court to 38 months for class A drug supply offences occurring after the Wolverhampton incident. At Wolverhampton Crown Court, he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, while Lees received a 21-month sentence suspended for 18 months, alongside a 50-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
The case highlights the impact of drug-related debts and coercion, with both defendants acknowledging the pressures that led to their involvement in drug-related offences.