A father of three has avoided jail after admitting attempting to smuggle Class A drugs into a festival in St Helens, in what he described as a "stupid mistake". Andrew Leigh, 37, appeared at court on Monday, October 19, for sentencing over charges relating to the incident at Reminisce Dance Festival on September 6, 2025.
Leigh, of Friargate in Preston, was offered £100 to take a package of drugs into the festival, the court heard. He was identified by drug dogs, who found him with a package containing 9.57 grams of "high purity" cocaine, over 15g of ketamine, 19 MDMA tablets, 6.4g of MDMA powder, and 18g of an MDMA and ketamine mix known as 'pink tusi'. He was subsequently arrested.
Courier Role Ruled by Judge
Leigh, a dad to three children aged 14, 10 and eight months, appeared in court in a blue shirt and tie after pleading guilty to three charges of possession with intent to supply cocaine, MDMA and ketamine. Despite the large package of drugs, including individual amounts appearing ready for sale, the judge ruled Leigh was not intending to sell the drugs himself but was "the courier and nothing more".
However, due to the weight and value of the drugs, the offence crossed a threshold putting Leigh at risk of imprisonment. He was estimated to have been carrying between £392 to £981 worth of cocaine, £95 to £190 of MDMA tablets, £294 to £323 of MDMA powder, £546 to £910 of 'pink tusi' and £154 to £308 of ketamine.
Sentencing and Background
Leigh described the offence to his defence barrister, Scarlett Wilson, as a "stupid mistake", the court heard. He has three previous convictions for five offences for which he has served prison time, none of which are related to drugs. These include violent disorder and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence in 2015. He also has a previous caution for possession of drugs.
The judge, Derek Jones, expressed that it was clear Leigh took "responsibility for his actions" surrounding his most recent charges and that he did not present a high risk of reoffending or harm. Having heard from the defence as well as the prosecution, the judge also considered Leigh's personal circumstances and background, including his parental responsibilities.
The judge also considered his prospect of rehabilitation in the community and previous compliance with court orders, both of which weighed in his favour. Leigh received a prison sentence of 15 months suspended for 18 months with a probation requirement. He was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £600 in costs.
In preparation for the hearing, the court heard Leigh had asked his defence barrister to apologise to the court and "everyone affected".
