Cocaine dealer targeted in stabbing sentenced

Suspended sentence for woman who admitted dealing cocaine

Report from BBC Isle of Man

A drug dealer who was stabbed nine times on the Isle of Man has been spared jail after a court heard she had "turned her life around".

Twenty-one-year-old Leah Masson was attacked on 4 September last year behind Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) High School.

Her phone was seized as part of investigations into the incident and Masson was found to have been involved in drug dealing.

She was sentenced at Douglas Courthouse for being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis, and money laundering.

Handing her a two-year suspended sentence, Deemster Graeme Cook said she had "got involved in the murky world of drugs", which is how she came to be stabbed, but had "since turned her life around."

The court heard messages on Snapchat and Telegram showed evidence of "frequent and regular cannabis dealing" between 6 August and 5 September 2024.

However, it was "impossible to say" how much cannabis and cocaine Masson had dealt, the prosecutor said.

She was described as a "mid-level supplier" as she had others "grafting for her," the court heard.

Messages also showed Masson had been chasing 17-year-old Dylan Minton for money he owed her, and the two arranged a handover which was when Masson was stabbed. Minton was later jailed for six years.

On 4 September that year she was also found to be involved in money laundering, by exchanging Manx money, which was common practice as drug dealers in the UK preferred their cash to be in English currency, the court heard.

On 4 February 2025 a search warrant was issued for her Douglas address and she was arrested.

Masson pleaded guilty to the three charges and her defence argued that she had been supplying primarily cannabis to fuel her own addiction to the drug.

Referring to the stabbing, Deemster Cook said "I accept you are a changed person as a result of the incident, adding "leave this murky world behind that nearly cost you your life, it could have cost you your livelihood and liberty."