MEMBERS of a gang dealing class A drugs in England and North Wales were sentenced to prison for their involvement in the trafficking of a 14-year-old boy in Rhyl.

Michael Hill, Joshua Ellerbrook, Gareth Jones, Darren Courtney and Anthony Buckley-Mellor were all jailed at Caernarfon Crown Court today (January 27), while Amanda Watkinson received a suspended sentence.

All of the defendants besides Ellerbrook also received Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders (STPO).

The child was trafficked across the North West of England before being left in Rhyl, an area which he had no connection to. He is now being safeguarded.

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Prosecuting, Simon Rogers told the court of how the boy went missing on February 12, 2021.

Between February 12-25, he was to visit locations including Rhyl, Liverpool, Wigan, and Bedford to deal class A drugs on behalf of an organised crime group.

Courtney, 25, of Plymouth Close, Runcorn, was said to have facilitated contact between the boy and Wesley Hankin, 31, the gang leader, who was serving a sentence in HMP Portland at the time.

Evidence from retrieved mobile phones found significant contact between the boy and Hankin, who the boy saved in his phone contacts as “the main man”, via messages and calls on February 12.

Messages found that the boy wanted to work for Hankin’s drugs enterprise; Jones, of Norris Grove, Widnes, later met him in Liverpool, and provided him with a phone.

The boy was then deployed to Wigan with the “sole purpose of dealing class A drugs”, where he remained for roughly one week, using two properties as a base.

Of those properties, one belonged to Watkinson, 54, of Greenwood Avenue, Worsley Hall; indeed, videos and photos recovered from the boy’s phone showed him inside her address.

One such video, taken at roughly 9.45am on February 14, showed him in possession of a “machete-type weapon” at the property, while others showed Watkinson appearing to be taking drugs.

On February 19, the boy and Ellerbrook, 21, of no fixed abode, went from Wigan to Liverpool, where they remained, in the Sefton area, before travelling to Bedford together.

The boy sent a message to Jones explaining he couldn’t leave his hostel as he had been arrested, and had told his mother he had to “pay this off”.

There was found to have been contact between the boy and Hill, 27, of no fixed abode, on February 22, before he was picked up from Liverpool that evening.

Accompanied by a woman, Lakeisha Ann Evans (who was handed a 12-month suspended sentence in October), as well as Hill and Ellerbrook, they travelled to Rhyl, stopping at Flint enroute to pick up another man, Callum Wright (who was jailed for 27 months in August 2021).

It transpired that this journey was so that the boy could supply class A drugs in Rhyl.

The boy, it soon transpired, owed members of the gang money, telling Jones that his mother would be paid on “the 29th” and asking how much exactly his debt was.

Jones messaged him: “you owe five ton (500)” and “(I) don’t really want your mum paying”.

Hankin later messaged the boy, in reference to his mother’s payday: “There’s only 28 days this month. Get all the dough now; you’re f***ing me about.”

While deployed in Rhyl to supply class A drugs, one of the addresses the boy stayed at was that of Buckley-Mellor, 48, of Wood Road.

On February 23, an undercover police officer with the alias “Kerri” made a call to order heroin and cocaine from the group.

The man who answered the call told her “I’ll send the kids over,” before the boy and Ellerbrook, 19 at the time, were sent to supply her.

“Kerri” then made a further order, of wraps of heroin and cocaine, two days later, which resulted in her being directed to a nature reserve off Marsh Road, Rhyl.

She identified the boy before conducting the transaction, and the boy was later arrested in possession of a significant amount of money and class A drugs; namely, 111 and 134 knotted packages of heroin and crack cocaine respectively.

Co-ordinated arrests were later made, with a search at Jones’ address finding money, a handgun, two hatchets, a zombie knife, two swords, and an assortment of stab vests.

All of the defendants made no comment when interviewed, other than Buckley-Mellor, who said he was told the boy was aged 19 but admitted he thought he looked “about 11”.

Of the six defendants, five had previous convictions, and three of them had formerly been convicted for drugs-related matters.

Defending Hill, Paul Wood said there was “little or no planning” on his part, and that he was “acting under the direction of others”.

Jane Greenhalgh, Jones’ solicitor, said her client was recruited by, and was subordinate to, Hankin, adding that his role did “not extend to Wales”.

In mitigation for Courtney, Oliver Saddington said he “will have the world at his fingertips should he grasp and make the most of it following his release”, but conceded that he “got the ball rolliing” and had a “significant role” in the trafficking.

Defending Ellerbrook, Matthew Buckland said he was “at the bottom of the pile here, in terms of where he stands in the hierarchy”.

Sarah Yates, Buckley-Mellor’s solicitor, said he played a “very limited role”, with the boy staying at his home for no more than two nights, and that he was in a “dire state” at the time, with a long-standing history of substance and alcohol issues.

Though, a probation report read out by Judge Nicola Saffman said that Buckley-Mellor had shown an “indignant” denial of any involvement in the child’s exploitation.

Jo Maxwell, defending Amanda Watkinson, said her client had been “controlled” by long-term class A drug addiction for 26 years, but that regular tests have shown she has now been sober for more than 10 months.

Judge Saffman made the following sentences:

• Gareth Jones was jailed for seven years and four months.

• Michael Hill was jailed for seven years and two months.

• Darren Courtney was jailed for six years and eight months.

• Joshua Ellerbrook and Anthony Buckley-Mellor were both jailed for one year and 10 months.

• Amanda Watkinson was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 24 months.

The judge issued STPOs of seven years upon Hill, Jones and Courtney, and of five years on Buckley-Mellor and Watkinson.

She told the defendants: “He was a 14-year-old boy, vulnerable, over and above his age because he was in the social care system.

“It was clear he was not just a child, but a young child. That would have been obvious to anybody looking at him.

“Clearly, this was fraught with dangers, with no experience of the area, and with no contacts in the area who he could seek help from.”

Judge Saffman ordered the forfeiture and destruction of all drugs and paraphernalia seized, and the deprivation of all money taken.

Statutory surcharges were imposed on all six defendants.

Superintendent Simon Williams, head of the Protection of Vulnerable People Unit, said: “This case marked a significant change in our approach in that the child dealing drugs on behalf of the group was treated as a victim, not a criminal, as it was clear he was being exploited and at risk.

“The other major difference is that some of the group were not only charged with drugs offences, but with human trafficking, which came as a surprise to them.

“This vulnerable child was trafficked across the North West, he was at the behest of these criminals, dealing drugs on their behalf. The risks and exploitation were massive.

“Our message to those who use children in this way is that we, along with partners, will relentlessly pursue you and bring you to justice, even if, as in this case, we haven’t got a victim willing to stand up in court.

“We will focus on all opportunities to gather evidence from all available sources.

“To young people caught up in County Lines and their parents or carers, our priority is to safeguard children and to pursue those who exploit them.

“I appreciate that it can be a difficult step to disentangle from the situation, but you should be confident that we will support and safeguard you.

“Modern slavery and trafficking happens in plain sight, impacting on the most vulnerable. It could be happening on your street, learn to know the signs, the public are key to helping identify this criminality.

“My hope is that those involved in offending of this kind think again about what they’re doing.

“This case highlights the approach that we will continue to take to successfully prosecute those who engage in such exploitation and provides a blueprint for prosecution and the managing of offenders after release via associated orders.”