Cocky teen criminal brags he 'doesn't work for free' then quickly regrets it

A teenage drug dealer has been locked up after he flouted a community order because he did not "agree with working for free." Cardiff Crown Court heard Kailem Priestnall, 19, turned to supplying cocaine and cannabis to fund his own addictions — including a laughing gas habit that has caused him long-term leg damage.

The judge, Recorder Jonathan Rees KC, said police officers wanted to speak with Priestnall on November 2 last year but he rode away from them on a moped which then got stuck in mud. He was caught after a short foot chase and the officers found ten snap bags of cocaine on him. One of the two phones he was carrying contained a "vast" number of messages to customers. The judge described these as "text bombs" which advertised how Priestnall could drop off Class A and Class B substances "all day and night."

Priestnall told police that the cocaine was for personal use and that he had two phones because he had been locked out of social media on one of them. Recorder Rees said these claims were "lies". He also noted that Priestnall committed the offences while under a 20-week suspended sentence for dangerous driving and possession of cocaine. As part of that sentence he had been ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work — but repeatedly missed his appointments.

The judge said it was a mark of Priestnall's immaturity that he told a probation officer he disagreed with working for free and would rather go to prison than do any more unpaid work. Priestnall also told the officer he was dealing drugs to fund an expensive dependency on cocaine — which he started snorting aged 15 — and nitrous oxide, which is often called laughing gas. "He was also reliant on cannabis to help him sleep," said Priestnall's barrister Rose Glanville. "He was addicted to all these drugs, including nitrous oxide which has left him with an ongoing health condition involving damage to his leg. He is seeking support from doctors for this."

Priestnall, of Bacon Place in Newport, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis. Ms Glanville said her client regrets his comments to the probation officer and "is still at the developmental stage" as shown by his immaturity and "poor decision-making". The court heard he was exposed to domestic violence and substance issues in childhood which resulted in him living with his grandfather. He was excluded "multiple" times from school, said Ms Glanville, but she added that he had ambitions to get clean from drugs and secure stable employment.

Wearing a Nike hoodie, Priestnall glared at the judge as his sentence was passed. Recorder Rees took into account the trauma of Priestnall's early years but also that he had played a "significant" role in the drug trade, both as a courier and an industrious advertiser of Class As. The judge imposed 32 months in a young offender institution as well as activating the 20-week suspended sentence, which will be served consecutively. Priestnall must also pay a £228 victim services surcharge. For the latest court reports, sign up here to our crime newsletter

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