Northampton drug gang jailed for intimidation that left neighbours 'too scared to Clap for Carers'

Drug-dealing gang members who terrorised their neighbourhood so much that people were scared to even stand outside to take part in the Clap for Carers have been jailed.

The group used extreme violence to run their business, regularly carrying weapons and committing criminal damage and arson to intimidate neighbours in the area of Northampton in which they operated.

They used vulnerable children as lookouts and runners, and the intimidation and anti-social behaviour became so bad that some residents felt too unsafe to go outside, even on Thursdays during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when the public clapped for carers outside their front doors, said Northamptonshire Police.

The gang were jailed for a combined total of more than 20 years.

Police executed four warrants between February and May 2020, seizing cannabis, heroin, crack cocaine, phones and weapons from the gang.

Four men pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs, and were sentenced last month.

• Kray Daniel Stewart, 20, previously of Northampton, was jailed for seven and a half years;

• Jamie Hobbs, 23, previously of Northampton, was jailed for seven years and seven months;

• Kaylun Charlie Jermaine Smalley, 25, previously of Northampton, was jailed for four years;

• Carl Alan Richardson, 51, previously of Northampton, was jailed for two years and five months.

A fifth man, Jerome Taylor, 20, of Morris Road, Northampton, was handed a suspended sentence of one year and nine months after admitting possession with intent to supply Class B drugs.

Neighbourhood policing inspector Andy Blaize praised the officers for securing the convictions, adding: "Since these five were put away, the change to the St David’s estate has been remarkable.

"Levels of crime, violence and anti-social behaviour have all reduced and it has improved the quality of life for our residents who now feel that they can come and go from their homes in safety.

“This operation is proof that if the community speak to officers and alert them to what is going on in their area, we will act on this intelligence and do everything in our power to make you feel safe again and bring the offenders of a crime to justice.”

Clap for Carers was a national initiative during the first coronavirus lockdown in which people came out on to their doorsteps to give a round of applause in recognition of the efforts of NHS and care staff in fighting the pandemic.