A DRUG dealer who was caught selling cocaine has been spared jail after a court heard how he is caring for his terminally ill mother.

Instead of prison 30-year-old Gary Boote will have to wear an electronic tag and obey an 8pm to 7am curfew for a year.

In a plea to Judge Graeme Smith, Nicholas Ross, defending, said Boote’s incarceration would have a serious impact on his family, particularly his mother, Gaynor Fry, who the court was told has terminal cancer.

And he asked the judge to take the unusual step of not sending Boote, of Darwen Road, Bolton, to prison “as an act of mercy”.

The court heard how police had raided Boote’s home in Hughes Avenue, Horwich on May 14 last year.

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Mark Brookes, prosecuting, said that a small amount of cannabis was discovered in the kitchen, but hung up in a jacket pocket, were digital scales and a bag containing 27.5g of cocaine, which was 80 percent pure and worth up to £2,760.

Boote told officers searching his home, “it’s all mine not her's”, referring to his partner who was at the property.

When a Samsung mobile phone was examined it showed evidence of dealing cocaine.

Boote, who has previous convictions for dishonesty and driving-related crimes, pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine, supplying cannabis, possession with intent to supply cocaine and possessing cannabis.

Mr Ross said Boote had become addicted to cocaine and been offered the chance to clear his £1,000 drug debt by dealing himself.

He added that he is now free of drugs and has stayed out of trouble since his arrest.

"This defendant is profoundly remorseful, not least because of the enormous impact on his family," said Mr Ross.

Judge Smith told Boote that he was only just persuaded, by a number of mitigating factors, to sentence him to two years in prison, suspended for two years plus 25 days of rehabilitation activities.

But he warned the defendant that, any breaches of the sentence would result in him going straight to jail.