A 61-YEAR-OLD father-to-be, who acted as the middleman in a drug trafficking gang, has been spared jail until after the birth of his child.

William Stevens was caught with nearly �30,000 worth of narcotics after police raided two properties in Hatfield in June last year.

Last Thursday Stevens pleaded guilty at St Albans Crown Court to conspiring to supply Class A and Class B drugs.

During the hearing, the court heard how police officers discovered wraps of cocaine after storming the defendant’s home in Ely Close.

Cannabis resin and skunk were subsequently discovered at Stevens’ partner’s address in Furrowfield.

However, defence lawyer Peter Wilcott said his client was being used by others who were more “criminally sophisticated”.

“His role was limited to the collection, cutting and returning the drugs,” Mr Wilcott said.

“He was not at the top end of the conspiracy.”

Mr Wilcott added that his client was battling a drink problem and asked Judge Stephen Gullick to give him credit for his guilty plea.

Judge Gullick said: “This was a serious packaging operation and a serious drugs operation.”

He also told Stevens, still of Ely Close, that he had no alternative but to send him to prison.

Yet Judge Gullick also said he was prepared to allow him to support his partner at the birth of their first child, due on June 8.

Suspending sentencing for three weeks, he told Stevens: “Be under no illusion, there is no sentence you are going to receive other than prison.”

“Thank you sir,” Stevens replied.