Leeds Festival security worker stopped entering Bramham Park site with £2,600 worth of drugs in his Audi

Hassan Zahid Qureshi told other security workers at the festival gate entrance in August 2019 that he was the boss of Night Patrol Security, and was there to work. Three other passengers all dressed in security clothing were in the car also.

But they raised suspicion when workers could smell cannabis coming from their Audi A3, Leeds Crown Court heard this week.

They searched the car and found empty cannabis containers, then a black rucksack in the boot that contained large quantities of cannabis resin and cannabis skunk. They also found five MDMA pills.

Police investigations estimated the drugs were worth £2,645.

Married father-of-two Qureshi, who is now 23, gave a prepared statement to police during interview and denied any knowledge of the drugs and refused to answer further questions. But following forensic analysis, his finger prints were found on the packaging of the drugs found in the boot.

He was interviewed again almost a year later in June 2020, and acknowledged that he had found the rucksack the previous night and rummaged around inside it, had found the drugs but claimed he was “too tired” to do anything about it at the time, prosecutor Andrew Stranex said.

Qureshi, of High Park Drive, Bradford, then said he did not have chance to remove the bag before reaching the festival, which is held annually over three days and attracts more than 80,000 music lovers.

He eventually admitted possession of MDMA, and possession of cannabis with an intent to supply, but only on the day his trial was due to begin. He has one previous relevant conviction of possession of cannabis, but had stayed out of trouble since the Leeds Festival.

Mitigating, Rodney Ferm conceded that the offences crossed the custody threshold, and had prepared himself for a custodial sentence, but said his actions were a “one-off”. He said it was Qureshi’s family’s business but they are no longer involved with providing security for festival events, sticking to “static work”, offering security for commercial premises.

He said that there was “no risk of repetition” in Qureshi’s case, that he suffered from depression and the debilitating condition, ankylosing spondylitis, in which the spine and other areas of the body become painfully inflamed.

The judge, Recorder Thomas Moran told Qureshi: “It’s a festival attended by young people and you were supplying security guards to that festival.

"Some of the drugs were for people in the car but the remainder of the cannabis was to be sold. You gave a lying account trying to explain what was found. I suspect there may be more to it but I sentence you according to your basis of plea.

"If you had been honest from the outset it would have been resolved years ago, but you have shown that you can stay out of trouble and lead a useful life. This was clearly targeting the Leeds Festival with a ready market of young people wanting to buy cannabis.”

He handed him an 18-month sentence, but said he would suspend it for two years. He also gave him 200 hours of unpaid work.