An “intimidating” 17-year-old drug dealer who was caught in Aylesbury with a Rambo-style knife has been spared jail by a judge who told him he has “a lot of potential”.

The teenager, who cannot be named because he is under 18, was in a taxi with others which contained a “large amount” of heroin and cannabis when he was caught on August 30 last year.

He appeared at Aylesbury Crown Court on Friday for sentence over the offences, which a judge told him if he was an adult could have been met with a prison term of four years.

But Recorder Timothy Nutley was told that the juvenile defendant - who was aged 16 at the time of the offence - had been diagnosed with ADHD and that prison would not help his condition.

Martin Hawkes, sentencing, said: “Prison is not the right place for this young offender. He should be sentenced in the community so that his mental health can be addressed as it is now. 

“He is definitely improving and engaging and wants to engage. has not succumbed to being tempted back into the ways of street gangs and reoffending.”

Mr Hawkes described his teenage client as “an intimidating young man”, pointing to his height and suggesting that allowed him to be used by the drug gangs. 

Jayne Davis, from Hackney Youth Justice, said the organisation was going to assist in monitoring the teenager and helping him back into education. 

“He has expressed an interest in plumbing”, Ms Davis said. “He did apply last year. He does recognise that he needs to retake his maths and English exams as well.”

Recorder Timothy Nutley told the defendant, who appeared in court with some of his relatives, that he would not be sending him to prison.

“What I have to do is a judge is consider what the best sentence is for what you did that day and also what the best sentence is for you, because when sentencing someone of your age, I have to think about what can prevent them getting in trouble again”, the judge said. 

“What I really do not want to happen is for you to get mixed up with drug gangs again. I think you are much better than that and you do not need to do that. I think you have a lot of potential.

“When you went out in August 2023, you had a very large knife with two blades on it down your trousers. I have seen pictures. It is a horrible weapon. Anyone carrying a weapon like that actually increases the chances you might get hurt, you might get stabbed by someone.”

The judge sentenced the teenager to a two-year youth referral order, which involved a supervision requirement and a three-month curfew from 7pm to 7am.