I'm writing a young adult book, in which one of the characters is arrested for drug possession, potentially with intent to distribute. He is 16 at the time, a UK resident with no priors relating to drugs. I plan to have his school mentor vouch for him on the grounds that he is troubled and needs help rather than punishment, so he gets off with a fine, manditory councelling and community service. Is this realistic within the UK criminal justice system? I plan to write about the trial so if anyone can give me as much detail as possible about what would happen in this situation, I'd be grateful. What would happen at the trial? How long after arrest would the trial occur? Who would be present at the trial? Thank you kindly.
tbh in the uk at the moment simple possession for personal use probably wouldn't even get charged (because the police have better things to do). possession with intent is a lot more serious (it also depends on what it is, cannabis is less serious than class a's like heroin, ecstasy, or cocaine, and how much.. someone who intends to give his four mates a pill won't be treated the same as someone caught with four kilograms of molly and a press. You can find the penalties etc here https://www.gov.uk/penalties-drug-possession-dealing
