Gloucester Crown Court Sentencing Results

Kingsley Williams, aged 28 and of Thespian Road, Churchdown, was arrested in June 2024. Part of a group with John Rogers, Kirsty Sansum and Aaron Russell who conspired to supply more than five kilograms of Class A drugs to Gloucestershire dealers, including three kilograms intercepted at Strensham Services on 11 March 2024. Communications via Snapchat revealed exchanges with Rogers and involvement in prior collections in February and March 2024.

Kirsty Sansum, aged 30 and of Stroud, was arrested with John Rogers at Strensham Services on the M5 on 11 March 2024. Three kilograms of cocaine, worth £240,000 to £300,000, were found in a carrier bag under the front seat of their Volkswagen T-Roc. Part of a group with Rogers, Kingsley Williams and Aaron Russell who conspired to supply more than five kilograms of Class A drugs to Gloucestershire dealers. Communications via Snapchat and WhatsApp revealed prior collections in February and March 2024, and debt collection to finance purchases.

Aaron Russell, aged 30 and of Ifton Road, Caldicot, was arrested in June 2024. Part of a group with John Rogers, Kirsty Sansum and Kingsley Williams who conspired to supply more than five kilograms of Class A drugs to Gloucestershire dealers, including three kilograms intercepted at Strensham Services on 11 March 2024. Communications via WhatsApp with Rogers and Snapchat group revealed arrangements for collections in February and March 2024, and debt collection to finance purchases.

Edward Rafferty operated an unlicensed commercial dog breeding enterprise from a property in Walmore Hill, advertising puppies falsely on websites like Gumtree and Pets4Homes as coming from a reputable family home with vet checks. He caused unnecessary suffering to dogs and failed to meet their needs, leading to offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Fraud Act 2006. A warrant was executed in May 2023, revealing the operation, and he pleaded guilty at a hearing on June 20, 2024.

Bryn Howells, 66, of Ebley near Stroud, held four simultaneous council jobs at Tewkesbury Borough Council, South Gloucestershire Council, and Publica Group between February 2022 and June 2023, earning over £236,000. Failed to disclose multiple employments, submitted false timesheets, and provided inaccurate information on declaration forms.

Narinder Kaur, aged 53, of Chosen Hill, Cleverton, engaged in serial shoplifting and refund fraud over several years, defrauding retailers of more than £500,000 by returning items she never purchased. She used a systematic and methodical approach, making it a full-time job, and showed obsessive determination. After detection, she adapted by using other people's credit cards to maintain her lavish lifestyle and attempted to pervert the course of justice. The offences spanned multiple years, with the conviction noted from May 2023.

Lennox Clarke, a former professional boxer, supplied cocaine to Ben Goff, a drug dealer in Cheltenham. Between September and November 2023, there were 12 significant meetings where Clarke provided Goff with quantities of cocaine ranging from 28g to 1kg. Clarke also travelled to Cheltenham with two other men on 16 October 2023 to enforce debts related to the drug supply. After Goff's arrest in November 2023, Clarke fled to Thailand but returned to the UK in March 2024, where he was arrested at his home near Stourbridge. He has a prior conviction for supplying Class B drugs.

Donald Ewers, in his 60s, of Walkinshaw Court, Gloucester, supplied heroin and crack cocaine, possessed with intent to supply, and criminal property; witnessed by plain-clothed police at Gloucester Park on March 8 dealing drugs.

Nathan Hatton, 21, of Clyde Road, Brockworth, teenage drug dealer caught with 1.18g cocaine, £110 cash, two phones with bulk texts advertising cocaine sales; harassed ex and unborn baby; bike broke down leading to arrest.

Suzanne Rafferty, Cotswold care home worker at Jubilee Lodge, Bourton-on-the-Water, forged close relationship with the 92-year-old victim with Alzheimer's, plundered her bank account for over £43,000 via cash withdrawals and purchases, changed locks on her Churchdown home.

Scott Capstick, 37, from Gloucester, was involved with a gang supplying hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs, mainly cocaine, to Gloucestershire and surrounding areas from February 2023 to September 2024. The group mixed cocaine with substances like Benzocaine, stored and distributed it, used encrypted apps, and employed security for cash exchanges such as photographing £5 note serial numbers.

James Blandford, 35, from Hucclecote, acted as second-in-command in a gang supplying hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs, primarily cocaine, to Gloucestershire and surrounding counties between February 2023 and September 2024. The operation involved mixing cocaine with substances like Benzocaine, using encrypted apps to advertise and arrange collections, and security measures for cash handovers such as verifying serial numbers on bank notes.

Jordan Ireland, 29, from Hucclecote in Gloucester, led a drugs gang that brought hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs, primarily cocaine, along with some cannabis and ketamine, into Gloucestershire and surrounding counties between February 2023 and September 2024. He was filmed weighing cocaine in his mother's kitchen, with videos showing an estimated 6kg of cocaine there. The gang mixed cocaine with cheaper substances like Benzocaine to maximise profits. Police launched an investigation after his arrest in April 2024 for unrelated matters and downloaded data from his phone.

On June 12 2024, police executed a search warrant at Luke Hall’s home in Edge Hills Road, Cinderford. Hall, aged 18, was found in bed and immediately handed over a large ball of cocaine wrapped in cling film from his bedside cabinet. A bag of cannabis was also found in the bedroom along with £1,000 in cash. He admitted possession of both drugs. The judge noted he had performed a limited function under direction, pressure and coercion.

Police received information that Mohammed Bham was involved in the supply of Class A drugs. He was arrested on February 11 leaving a rented property in Barnwood, Gloucester, and getting into a Mercedes. A search of the property found cocaine, heroin, and around £3,000 in cash. His phone contacts led police to two self-storage units, where they found £100,000 in cash and further Class A drugs. In total, 755 grams of cocaine and 625 grams of heroin were seized, with an estimated street value of around £100,000. Officers also found air pistols, crossbows, and machetes. The weapons and drugs were destroyed. Bham's Mercedes and high-value designer clothes were also seized.

Brian Dennis, 55, from Cheltenham, was part of a gang that imported and supplied hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs, mainly cocaine, to Gloucestershire and surrounding areas from February 2023 to September 2024. As a mechanic, he pressed the cocaine mixed with Benzocaine into 1kg blocks to disguise tampering. The gang used encrypted apps and cash verification methods like £5 note serial numbers for security.