Kent man stabbed in head with scissors after flushing drug dealers' crack cocaine down the toilet

A man from Kent has been stabbed in the side of his head with a pair of scissors after flushing crack cocaine down the toilet which belonged to two men.

Lewis Barovbe and Stephen Gillard were using the victim's home to store supplies of Class A drugs.

A large quantity of crack cocaine was left at the victim’s address in Rochester, causing him to panic and flush the drugs down a toilet.

Barovbe and Gillard then went to the property in July 2022 and demanded £1,000 from the victim.

Barovbe kicked the man several times and then stabbed the side of his head with a pair of scissors, Kent Police said.

They returned three days later when Barovbe assaulted the victim again and smashed a mirror over his head. He then stabbed him several times with a shard of the broken glass.

The force said the victim crawled to his front door to call for help but Gillard dragged him back inside.

The man was made to clear up the blood on the floor with bleach and place the broken mirror in a bin bag. Gillard disposed of the bag in a neighbouring garden.

Police were alerted after a member of the public saw blood stains outside the victim’s home.

Officers located the injured man and the assailants' fingerprints were later recovered from the scene of the assaults.

PC Ellis Langford, of North Division CID, said: "Barovbe and Gillard used fear to coerce a vulnerable victim to allow them to use his home.

"When things did not go to plan, these violent bullies resorted to a series of appalling assaults on a man who was in no position to defend himself.

"Thanks to the concerns of a passing member of the public who spotted some blood stains, local constables were able to locate the victim and get him the immediate medical assistance and support he required.

"The evidence our officers then gathered was indisputable, and it has helped to ensure these criminals were brought to justice and are now facing well-deserved prison sentences."

At Maidstone Crown Court, Barovbe pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and Gillard admitted causing grievous bodily harm.

Barovbe was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment. Gillard was jailed for two years and three months. Both men will also be subject to restraining orders on release from prison.