A dopey drug dealer whose phone was found by police in a gutter was easily linked to its criminal dealings - as he had used it to take 'selfie snaps' of his face. Jake Duffy, 24, had used the handset to acquire and deal thousands of pounds worth of Class-B drug cannabis but had also taken self-portraits on it. 

Liverpool Crown Court heard how police attending an assault in December 2022 unexpectedly found the suspicious phone discarded in a gutter and found it packed with criminal drug dealing messages. And they were easily able to tie Duffy, of Ellesmere Port, to the damning evidence as his own selfie pictures were in the 'photos' library of the handset.

Duffy admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis but avoided jail with a nine-month suspended sentence and 180 hours of unpaid work due to avoidable delays in bringing the 2022 incident to court. 

Sentencing, Judge Robert Trevor Jones said: "Since this offence, the two-and-a-half years which have elapsed have seemed to have a significant change on your life. You have served that two-year sentence. 

"You have also moved out of the area. You have now stopped the associations you had in the criminal community which, from all I have read in this case, seem to be pretty high level. 

"You seem to be, now, a low risk of reoffending. There is a great deal of positive to be thought about as far as the future is concerned, if you can stay on the rails. 

"You have a supportive family to help you with that. I also reflect the delay in this case." 

Prosecutor Stella Hayden said the black iPhone contained messages from 7-20th December  2022, revealing Duffy's role in cannabis distribution. 

This included texts relating to acquiring the class B drug for sale and promoting his stock to buyers, as well as "tick lists" suggesting debts up to £2,000 and "references to wages owed to others". 

Also found on the phone were images displaying substantial sums of money. When called for a voluntary interview in November 2023, Duffy chose not to respond to any questions put forth by detectives 

That assault incident of December 2022 led to Duffy receiving a two-year sentence for wounding with intent. 

Duffy was one of the intended targets of the shooting at the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey, Wirral, which saw innocent Elle Edwards killed aged 26 on Christmas Eve 2022. 

The fatal shooting came the day after Duffy and co-accused Kieran Salkeld, 28, subjected rival Sam Searson to a brutal beating in Rock Ferry, an incident which was captured by Ring doorbell camera footage. 

That assault - which also saw Salkeld jailed -was one of a series of tit-for-tat incidents between organised crime groups faced on the Woodchurch and Beechwood estates, which ultimately led to unwitting bystander Elle's death. 

In 2023 evil gunman Connor Chapman was jailed for life with a minimum of 48 years for Elle's murder.

Weeks later we reported how Chapman took a grinning selfie of himself in prison, prompting Elle's grieving dad to brand the killer a "scumbag".

Ms Hayden acknowledged the delays in Duffy's case, stating: "I concede that there has been a significant delay. 

"I am unable to advance any reasonable explanation. Any delay is not down to the defendant, but perhaps due to a lack of expedience." 

Nicola Daley, defending, said: "The defendant is still only 24 years of age but in the last two years plus he has made significant progress, at least since serving the sentence of imprisonment. 

"He has moved out of the area. He has cooperated with probation. He tells me he has now only got 28 hours left on his unpaid work. He really appears to be, finally, seeming to grow up. 

"He has sought employment. He is not yet earning for that employment. He is doing it on a voluntary basis with somebody who he knows who works in a construction agency. He is a joiner by trade. 

"He has used the time he has spent in prison well, in that he has obtained qualifications. He is now somebody who has a partner and is staying away from trouble. 

"Although this offending normally would pass the custody threshold, he is somebody who has made a lot of progress. 

"I ask your honour whether there can be an alternative to a suspended sentence order and if the court can impose a community order. 

"If not, there is such a realistic prospect of rehabilitation that he need not be sentenced to immediate imprisonment. 

"He lives with his partner. His partner is a few years older than him and works in the hairdressing business. His family remain supportive of him. They have buried his mother's father this week."