A JUDGE has warned drug dealers heading to Boomtown festival they will face time in prison after jailing a man.

It came after 20-year-old Joseph Holbrook was caught trying to get into last year’s festival with class A and B “party drugs”.

Winchester Crown Court heard Holbrook, of Players Crescent, Totton, was caught with more than 3g of cocaine, nearly 6g of MDMA, and more than 5g of ketamine hidden in his trousers while passing through security at the Winchester festival.

Police searched Holbrook’s home on the same day, August 11, where they found more than 50g of cannabis and a phone with contents relating to drug deals.

The court heard the drugs were thought to have a total street value of £1,750, although Judge Keith Cutler said the value was likely to have been higher at the festival.

Daily Echo:

Prosecutor Alejandra Tascon said that while he admitted the four counts of drug possession with intent to supply, Holbrook told officers the Boomtown drugs were for personal use and for his friends at the festival, while the cannabis dealing was to help clear debts.

Mitigating, Richard Martin sought to play down the significance of the offences at Boomtown. He told the court: “There’s no evidence he has made any cash.

“He had purchased the drugs jointly with a group of friends and went to the festival holding the drugs.

“He was 19 at the time of the offence, he comes from a good family.”

Mr Martin added Holbrook was living in the family home with his brother after his parents, who were not in court, moved to Cyprus, and was aiming to study either plumbing or bricklaying at college.

He said: “He is a teenager selling from his bedroom... Over the last year he has come somewhat off the rails without parental control,” although he said Holbrook had begun to sort himself out again.

“What happens today is going to have the most enormous impact on the rest of his life.”

Despite Mr Martin’s case, Judge Cutler jailed Holbrook for two and a half years.

He said: “This court is very keen to enforce if [dealers] are found with drugs in Boomtown festival, they face a prison sentence.

“The situation is aggravated by the cannabis dealing.”