Heroin-dealer dad joins rest of his drug gang in prison
A 23-year-old Derbyshire man has become the final member of a drugs gang to be jailed for selling heroin.
Dad-of-two Ashley Dunne is one of a number of dealers from the Matlock area now behind bars.
In late July, Ricky Dunne, 24, of Overdale, was jailed for three years for possession of cocaine and heroin, while Thomas Stones, 25, of Chesterfield Road, both in the town, was jailed for 28 months for possession with intent to supply the drugs.
At Derby Crown Court, sentencing Ashley Dunne to 21 months, Judge Shaun Smith QC said: “I take into account what I have been told about your determination to make your children’s lives better than yours.
“The problem is, however, that in your pre-sentence report it says you are somebody who has, in the past, demonstrated no motivation with non-custodial sentences and has breached them.”
Sarah Allen, prosecuting, said police executed a warrant at Dunne’s mother’s former home in Overdale in December 2019 following a series of reports by residents about anti-social behaviour and drug misuse.
Nine were arrested at the time of the warrant, and following further investigation, work was carried out. Miss Allen said: “The defendant was present and heroin was discovered. A phone was seized from him which had a message on it he was offering to supply drugs.”
Dunne, of Poppyfields Close, Matlock, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs and a separate count of affray.
Miss Allen said that related to a group attack on a man in Matlock on April 18, 2018, which left the victim with a fractured eye socket.
Nicoleta Alistari, mitigating, said her client was the father of two young sons – aged five and one. She said: “He does accept he is at great risk of going to prison but he does hope the court takes an exceptional step back from immediate custody and give him one last chance to get his life back in order.”
Joseph Heappey, 18, of Oat Hill, Wirksworth, and Tracey Marriott, 47, formerly of Overdale, Matlock, were also sentenced at July’s hearing.
Heappey was handed a community order of 18 months and ordered to complete 180 hours’ unpaid work for possession with intent to supply Class B drugs, while Marriott was sentenced to a 12-month community order for permitting the supply of controlled drugs.
Speaking after July’s sentencing hearing, Inspector John Troup, who is in charge of policing for the Derbyshire Dales, said: “We are committed to targeting the supply and misuse of drugs within our communities. These sentences reflect the hard work and thorough investigation carried out by our officers who have worked in partnership with the local community and our partners to achieve this outcome.
“Drug dealing is a serious offence which blights communities and we rely on the help and support of the public to provide us with information so that we can bring offenders to justice and keep our neighbourhoods safe.”