An Albanian drug dealer who entered Britain illegally has avoided a prison sentence after a judge cited his partner's depression and chronic pain, alongside new Labour sentencing guidelines aimed at easing overcrowding in England's jails. Urim Morina, 27, admitted supplying cocaine as part of a county lines operation and possessing a travel document in a false identity, but Judge James Bromige suspended his sentence rather than jailing him, drawing on expanded powers that let courts suspend longer terms than previously allowed.

Morina was given a two-year and four-month sentence, suspended for three years, after police raided his home in March and found evidence he had supplied cocaine over 18 months, along with almost £700 in cash and a fraudulent travel certificate. The judge noted Morina had otherwise led a "law-abiding life", cooked and cared for his partner due to her health conditions, and had gained qualifications since arriving in the UK after being sent by his father as a teenager. Instead of custody, he was ordered to complete 175 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation days; the Ministry of Justice said prison remains reserved for dangerous offenders while it expands capacity and tightens community-based controls such as tagging and restriction zones.