Pubdate: 16 Oct 1997
Source: The Times 
Contact: Three years for youth who ran school drugs ring 
By Russell Jenkins 

A TEENAGE "puppetmaster" ran a ring of schoolboy drug dealers who sold LSD
and cannabis at break time, Manchester Crown Court was told. Pupils
smuggled the drugs into the 143yearold Blue Coat Church of England school
in Oldham, Greater Manchester, in the linings of their blazers or hidden in
the tops of their socks. 

Todd Crombie, 18, of Woodhouses, Oldham, one of four facing charges
including his brother Ben, 15, was jailed for three years yesterday for
being concerned in the supply of LSD and cannabis. He was the only one of
the four not a pupil at the school. 

The scandal led to seven pupils being expelled from the voluntaryaided
school. 

Judge Richard Holman told Crombie: "You were the puppetmaster of young
pupils who did your dirty work for you. There would have been older and
more evil men above you, but they must have been rubbing their hands with
glee as you, acting as sergeant, engaged young and vulnerable minds in this
sordid world." 

Ben Crombie, of the same address, admitted being concerned in the supply of
cannabis and was made subject of a twoyear supervision order. John
Hollingworth, now 16, also of Woodhouses, was sentenced to 18 months' youth
custody for supplying LSD. 

David Wrigley, also 16, of New Moston, was made subject of a supervision
order for two years for supplying LSD and cannabis. The judge made an order
that the boys could be named. 

He told them: "A dark shadow hangs like a cloud over Blue Coat School, a
good school with an excellent reputation which you have now tarnished by
your behaviour." 

In the summer the school reached the top 30 in The Times list of
comprehensives at Alevel.