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A cannabis supplier avoided jail today because he was the sole carer of his 12 children.

Peter Saunders told Mold Crown Court how his youngest child was 19 months old but his wife had left him and married someone else.

The court heard how Saunders, 47, had a dozen children aged 19 months, three, six, seven, nine, ten, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18 and 22.

He had not worked for 10 years because he was unfit to do so and lived on benefits in Princess Street in Rhyl.

The defendant and his eldest son Matthew Saunders, 22, who lived in a flat in Princess Street, both admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply after police raided their homes on December 17 last year.

The two, who turned up in court in a black Jaguar saloon, received suspended prison sentences.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said Peter Saunders claimed to smoke cannabis for pain relief because he had pain in his feet as a result of diabetes.

“That clearly does not prevent him from doing other active things,” he commented.

But the defendant was the sole carer of young children and the Court of Appeal had made it clear that it would have to be a very serious offence “to pack him off to prison”.

The judge said that he would have to drawn back from custody and put the interests of the young children first.

Grudgingly, from a parity point of view, he could not send his son to prison either because they had pleaded guilty to a joint enterprise.

Both received 12 month prison sentences suspended for two years.

The father was made the subject of a three month tagged curfew to ensure that he remains indoors between 8 pm and 6 am.

The son was made subject to supervision and a drug rehabilitation scheme with monthly court reviews.

Judge Rowlands said that he had been persuaded to suspend the sentences because “I have in mind the guidance by the Court of Appeal when dealing with the parents and sole carers of very young children.”

But he warned them: “You must not think that you can use this as a shield to avoid the consequences of any further offending in the future.”

They should regard it as a chance.

“Rest assured if you commit any further offences punishable by imprisonment then the two of you will be going to prison,” he said.

Prosecuting barrister Nicholas Sefton told how police raided the father’s home and found two containers of cannabis – one among Christmas presents – which contained 43 grammes of cannabis valued at about £450.

One gramme of cannabis was found at the son’s flat and they both claimed it was for personal use.

But phone messages were discovered on the son’s mobile which showed that people would contact him via his personal Facebook messages asking for drugs.

The judge said that the picture that emerged was that the son received messages requesting drugs and he would tell his customers to go to his father’s house so that “he could sort them out”.

Judge Rowlands said that he accepted that the son – who was a carer for one of his brothers three days a week – had got into debt with his suppliers and agreed to sell on their behalf.

Brian Treadwell, for the father, said that he accepted joint responsibility with his son.