Scarborough cocaine dealer locked up for four years

Joshua Kilpatrick, 32, was arrested at his home in Scarborough on October 7 when police found 38g of cocaine, York Crown Court heard.

A “complex” police investigation into his activities in the preceding six months showed he had been advertising drugs for sale on three telephone lines linked to his email address, said prosecutor Michael Cahill.

“Messages (were) sent from these phones making clear that cocaine is available and when dealers are active in the area,” he added.

Kilpatrick was rumbled after police apprehended known drug users in the town and found them with cocaine.

The trail of electronic evidence, namely the phone lines and messages sent to them, led police to Kilpatrick’s door.

They went to his house in Pavilion Square, Scarborough, and found 38g of cocaine at the property.

He was arrested and charged with being concerned in offering to supply a Class A drug and possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

The offences occurred between March and October this year.

Kilpatrick, originally from Whitby, appeared at the Crown Court today (Nov 7) when he admitted both charges.

The Crown moved straight to sentence.

Mr Cahill said Kilpatrick had been “trusted (by others in the drug chain) to operate the dealer lines in which he is sending out the (messages)”.

Kilpatrick had 13 previous convictions for 26 offences including robbery, for which he received a six-year jail sentence in September 2019.

He was released from jail earlier this year, halfway through his sentence, shortly before embarking on his drug enterprise while still on prison licence for the robbery.

He was recalled to prison following his arrest for the drug offences to serve the remainder of the robbery sentence.

His solicitor advocate David Camidge said Kilpatrick had no previous drug offences on his record but had “got himself involved in something in Scarborough”.

He said Kilpatrick’s intention was to move back to Whitby once he was released from jail.

Recorder Tom Little KC said it was clear that Kilpatrick had been “regularly supplying” Class A drug users over a period of about six months.

Although the quantities could not be established, Mr Little said the fact that Kilpatrick was caught with 38g of cocaine on one occasion alone was an indication of the sheer scale of the dealing enterprise.

He told Kilpatrick: “The supply of Class A drugs, and in particular cocaine, leads to a whole raft of criminal offences which result from it across the county and this country, which is why this is such a serious offence.”

Kilpatrick was handed a four-year jail sentence, of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on prison licence.