A judge delayed sending a drug-dealing university student to prison so the bright youngster could complete his final exams.

Arbaaz Azam, 22, had admitted targeting other students on campus as he looked to sell cannabis and LSD.

But Judge Simon James waited until after he had finished his business degree before jailing him for two years.

He told Azam that sending someone of his intelligence and potential to prison “gives me no pleasure”.

But he added: “However, the plain fact is you were dealing in LSD and cannabis.

“LSD is a hallucinogenic drug which causes real problems, mental health issues and misery to its users” - Judge Simon James

“LSD is a hallucinogenic drug which causes real problems, mental health issues and misery to its users.”

Prosecutor Andrew Espley told Canterbury Crown Court how in October last year police spotted Azam sitting in his silver BMW, which carried Northern Ireland number plates, on the University of Kent campus.

Officers could smell cannabis and searched him.

“They found £790 in cash nearby and cannabis,” Mr Espley said.

The court heard how Azam had been texting a woman who wanted to buy LSD, and two tabs of the drug were discovered “stuck to his scrotum”.

Ed Fowler, defending, said Azam, who comes from Birmingham, used his student grant to buy LSD and turned to dealing to get some money.

He said Azam was “an exceptional student” who had turned to LSD to cope with his anxiety.

“His drugs debt mounted and he started to sell drugs to other students in what was a quite naive way by text messaging people.”

Azam, of Canterbury, admitted possessing Class A and Class B drugs with the intention of selling them.

The judge said a deterrent sentence was needed to impress those tempted to become involved “in this evil trade”.