County lines drug gang who exploited young children in Brighton jailed for more than 34 years

The six men and one woman admitted bringing children to Brighton to exploit as street runners. Credit: ITV News Meridian

A gang of county lines drug dealers who exploited children to run their operation, have been sentenced to a total of 34 years in prison.

The six men and one woman admitted bringing children to Brighton to exploit as street runners.

On Friday, at Hove Crown Court, Thomas Warwick, 32, Jayden Henry-Flavien, 31, Gary Goodwin, 23, Liam Harvey, 25, Cris Donovan, 31, and Dean Warrington, 47, were jailed.

Hairdresser Nicola McKenzie, 49, from Hove, was given a two year suspended prison sentence.An eighth member, Harley Roberts, 25, remains to be sentenced.

  • Bodycam footage from Sussex Police shows the moment of one of the arrests:

The case is believed to be the first in Sussex in which a gang of drug dealers have admitted breaking modern slavery laws, having exploited four school-age children – three of them from Essex.

During the trial the court heard how McKenzie, harboured the teenage boys at her home as they were put to work selling drugs in Brighton.

She called herself their "surrogate mother" and, referring to the boys, she said: "I’m highly impressed with the staff."

Hove Crown Court heard that she gave the boys advice about where to deal, sending them by taxi to St Ann’s Well Gardens, in Hove, on one occasion – and she gave the children a place to stay in exchange for drugs to feed her own habit.

One of the child victims told police: "They’re forcing me to do it because my mum is a drug user."

Another, a boy of 15, called police in the early hours, revealing he and another 15-year-old were stranded in Brighton – although the call handler said it was not a police matter.

Judge Stephen Mooney said: "This was a conspiracy designed to generate a substantial amount of money by selling drugs.

"They recruited vulnerable children to do the selling and to do the running – and that’s an evil thing to do.

"These children were exposed to the risk of serious physical and psychological harm... four children who were put to work selling drugs."