A WOMAN who has waited for over two years to go to court for supplying drugs has been given a suspended sentence.

Judge Beverly Lunt said that the woman had been waiting a “ridiculous amount of time” for sentencing.

When giving the woman a suspended twelve-month sentence, Judge Lunt said: “The fact is that nobody did a thing about this charge. She has a good character and has not done anything since.”

Prosecuting, David Clarke said that on July 9 2017, defendant Della Barratt, 31 of Griffin Street, Blackburn, and a man were arrested on suspicion of supplying drugs.

Police pulled over Barratt's vehicle and some drugs fell from her lap, leading to officers finding 17 wraps of heroin and 16 wraps of crack cocaine in the vehicle, coming to a combined street value of £490.

Officers also found a crack pipe and a claw hammer in the vehicle and confiscated Barratts phone for further investigation.

Whilst in custody she admitted to possession crack cocaine for personal use and said she knew the hammer was in the car but had forgotten about it.

On the mobile phone, detectives found messages related to drug use and dealing but Barratt told police that the messages were to her partner at the time.

Mr Clarke also said that Barratt had a good character and has committed no further offences since this but says at the time she was heavily addicted to class A drugs.

Speaking to Barratt, Judge Lunt continued: “You were so hanging around with the wrong people.

“You have waited a ridiculous amount of time for the courts. You have kept out of trouble for the past two years.”

Barratt appeared to be remorseful of her crime, thanking Judge Lunt for the sentence before hugging a woman who attended the hearing with her.