A TEENAGE drug dealer caught with a samurai sword when stopped by police in Basingstoke has been jailed.

Farees Matloob was just 19 years old when he was involved in dealing Class A drugs as part of a county lines operation in the town, and carried the blade after he was robbed.

He was a front seat passenger when a Seat Leon was stopped by police at Winchester Road roundabout on December 20, 2019.

The Slough resident admitted to police that he had the 15 inch blade on him, whilst he was also found in possession of 40 wraps of heroin and 31 wraps of crack cocaine.

This stop came just three months after the car in which he was a passenger was pulled over in Slough, this time with 23 wraps of cocaine, nine wraps of heroin and £110 in cash.

His phone was seized which revealed he had been involved in a county lines network.

The 20-year-old was sentenced to 14 months in prison at Winchester Crown Court on Friday after Recorder James Newton-Price QC said he would be "failing in [his] duty" were he to not pose an immediate custodial sentence.

The court was told how Matloob, of Eden Close in Slough, enrolled at university and lent money out of his student loan to an associate. The associate repaid him in drugs, which he could give to his father, who had a Class A drug addiction.

It was whilst he was dealing drugs that he was robbed, and hence why he carried the sword, Recorder Newton-Price said.

Sentencing the defendant, he said: "I am told you have not had an easy childhood. You dropped out of university because of this drug offending, I read that you hope to regain your place.

"You have not offended since the end of 2019. On the other hand, this is Category A drug dealing."

Matloob was criticised by the recorder for not stopping after his first arrest, adding: "Irrespective of that, you did it again in December 2019.

"I am afraid that I have concluded that I will be failing in my duty if I did not impose an immediate custodial sentence for Class A drug dealing and doing it again."

But, he said he would make the sentence "as short as possible" in the circumstances.

Matloob was sentenced to 14 months in prison, reduced from two years on account for his family history, otherwise good character, guilty plea, the time he has spent waiting for a result and because of the impact of Covid on the prison regime.

He is expected to serve half before being eligible for release on licence.

A forfeiture and destruction order was also granted for the drugs, paraphernalia, cash and sword.