Leeds 'serious criminal' hides 'ghost phone' from police

Leeham Stewart is back behind bars

A former drugs "chief executive" from Leeds has been jailed again after being caught hiding a "ghost phone" from police.

Leeham Stewart, now 39, was told by a judge at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday, October 13 that he would not "insult him" by saying he is "anything other than a serious criminal."

Stewart, of no fixed abode, was jailed in 2022 after it was reported he controlled a county lines drug operation in which gang members made regular trips to Blackpool to collect class A drugs before storing them at properties in Leeds. He was also made the subject of a Serious Harm Prevention Order, banning him from having a phone unless police knew about it.

Stewart already breached that order during his last period in custody when he was found to be in possession of a phone then, and was found to be in possession of one again on August 6 this year, after a car he was in attempted to ram a police vehicle when the driver was "trying to make off."

His Honour Judge Stubbs KC asked the court: "Why did this class A drug dealer want a phone the police did not know about?"

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Daisy Wrigley, mitigating, said there was "no evidence" suggest Stewart was committing further serious offences by having the phone, to which the judge replied: "He is a really serious criminal."

Ms Wrigley added: "He has five children that he has a relationship with when he is not in custody, so there is an impact on them when he is. At the time of this offending, a close friend had committed suicide and he was mourning his friend at the time of this offence.

"It is not an excuse but provides an explanation why he was with his brother at the time. The funeral was the day after his arrest and that does still lay heavily on him."

The court heard that Stewart, who pleaded guilty to being in breach of a serious crime prevention order, had previous convictions for offences including conspiracy to supply class A drugs, robbery, possession of an offensive weapon and theft.

Judge Stubbs described the phone as a "ghost phone that the police had no idea about." He added: "The judge [previously] must have concluded you are a serious criminal and I'm not going to insult you by saying you're anything other than that. You have been committing serious crime since you were a juvenile. You wanted to have access to a phone you should not have."

Stewart was jailed for 13 months and ordered to pay £600 towards prosecution costs within 28 days and a victim surcharge of £187.