Chandler's Ford dealer went back to drugs after being shot

Shaquille Forsythe-Wilding was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" when he was shot in the leg four years ago.

The incident left him with muscle damage and mental health issues which caused him to relapse and deal drugs again, a judge heard.

Prosecuting, Daniel Wright said the 28-year-old was supplying drugs directly to “vulnerable people” despite being caught three times in the past.

He was identified after his number was found in the phone of a Class A drug user.

Southampton Crown Court heard Forsythe-Wilding had been operating the “Snowy” drugs line through a mobile phone which he was using to send out bulk marketing messages.

Mr Wright said his was “a classic case of county lines drug operations” in which he had a “significant role”.

READ MORE: Southampton heroin and crack cocaine drug gang taken down

Southampton Crown Court.

But mitigating, Khaled Missouri said his client's drug habit stemmed from a number of incidents in the past including a shooting.

After receiving a suspended sentence in 2018, Forsythe-Wilding “did start to rebuild his life” and met someone whom he had a child with.

But in 2020 he “was the victim of crime”, Mr Missouri said.

He was shot in the leg due to a mistaken identity and being "in the wrong place at the wrong time"

“He sustained and still suffers pain in respect of substantial muscle damage in his leg as a result of that shooting.

“He did manage to stay out of trouble and not resort into taking Class A drugs.

“But then a close family member suddenly and unexpectedly died in 2022.

“There is remorse. Hopefully over the next few years he will be able to sort himself out.”

Forsythe-Wilding, of Cornwall Road, Chandler’s Ford pleaded guilty to two charges of being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug in relation to offences between June 18 and October 30 last year.

He was jailed for five years and eight months.

Judge Nicholas Rowland told him: “This is the fourth time now you have appeared before the courts for Class A drug dealing offences.

“These people that are on the street taking crack cocaine, heroin. It wrecks their lives, ends their lives sometimes.

“People can end up getting shot of stabbed to death. That is the level of criminality that dealing in Class A drugs produces.

“If you come back, the sentences will just get longer and longer.”

An order was made for the forfeiture and destruction of the phone he was operating with.