'Disgraceful' Wath drug dealer jailed

Wayne Tunstill (40), formerly of Utleys Croft, Wath, handed out class A drugs to a boy and a girl - who were both in their mid-teens - and other teenagers at parties between August 2015 and August 2017, Sheffield Crown Court was told.

He was jailed for six years and four months on Monday after admitting eight drug offences.

Mr Simon Reevell, prosecuting, told the court that Tunstill had used cannabis and crack cocaine himself and had made them available to the boy and girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and their friends, who were of a similar age.

He said Tunstill had frequently given the boy and girl alcohol, particularly cider and vodka, and given the girl LSD, amphetamines, crack cocaine and cocaine, while dealing cannabis to adults from his home.

The girl said in a victim impact statement that before she had become involved with drugs she had been bubbly and had a fun sense of humour but had also suffered from depression.

She said Tunstill had known this at the time and had manipulated this, telling her the drugs would “make her feel better”, adding: “He chipped away at my personality day by day.”

Tunstill, who admitted seven counts of supplying a class A drug and one count of supplying a class B drug, had previous convictions for supplying cannabis in 2000, possession of cannabis in 2006 and possession of a shotgun without a licence in 2012.

In a letter to the court, Tunstill apologised for his “inappropriate behaviour” and offered his apologies to the two teenage victims.

“There were no excuses for what I did,” he said. “I had lost my moral compass.”

Ms Joy Merriam, mitigating, said Tunstill was “extremely remorseful and sorry” for his actions.

She said one of the reasons Tunstill had pleaded guilty was to prevent the two complaintants from having to give evidence.

Sentencing Tunstill, Judge David Dixon said: “This is not a lapse of your moral compass - it’s totally disgraceful behaviour to young people.

“Providing crack cocaine to children is despicable - the long-term consequences for the young people, both in terms of their general health and their physical make-up, and, potentially, their lifelong requirement to be involved in drugs, is horrific.”

Tunstill was given a restraining order which banned him from having any contact with the victims and a criminal behaviour order which banned him from having any contact with under-18s or living with anyone under 18 without the permission of a parent or guardian and the local authority.

Tunstill was charged with three sexual offences but no evidence was offered by the prosecution.