‘Gucci line’ heroin dealer breached restraining order
THUG SPARED JAIL AFTER CREATING MULTIPLE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS TO SEND VILE MESSAGES TO HIS EX-GIRLFRIEND
A CONVICTED heroin and crack dealer involved in a ‘Gucci line’ drug operation has avoided jail despite breaching his suspended sentence and a restraining order five times.
Bradley Ellis was last year sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years, for his role in a gang which flooded the streets of Bury with class A drugs.
In 2018, Ellis had previously been given a suspended sentence for assaulting his exgirlfriend and mother of his child. Along with the sentence, a restraining order was imposed forbidding him from contacting her.
But in attempts to contact the victim, Ellis created 11 different Instagram accounts, prosecutor Andrew Mackintosh told Bolton Crown Court.
Despite changing her username on multiple occasions, Ellis, 26, always managed to find her and on December 2, last year, she received a video message in which he said: “I’m going to court to get access to our son. Go f*** yourself.”
Two days later, she received another message from Ellis. This time it was a picture message which read: “When your ex looks like a transvestite”. The same day, he sent another message which said: “I love you”.
On December 8, he contacted the victim and friends to say: “Why get pregnant with another lad when you can’t even control the kids you have now.”
Ellis, of Plodder Lane, Farnworth, Bolton, added that he was aware she was pregnant and knew where she lived.
On December 16, he messaged her: “Speak to me when it’s about our son. Trust me now you are not letting me see him because it will upset your boyfriend. I’ll see you Christmas Day. That’s all I’m saying”.
In a victim statement, his ex-girlfriend said: “I feel like the messages are constant and draining. I feel I can’t move on with my life and something needs to be done to stop it. I had a restraining order put in place for a reason. However, this does not seem to deter Brad. I just want to move on with my life.”
Raquel Simpson, defending, said that Ellis was still in full-time work and had a ‘very hard-working attitude.’
In regards to a domestic abuse programme
Lipman plays Evelyn Plummer in Corrie put on by the probation service, which was recommended for Ellis, Ms Simpson added: “I’m confident that he will comply.”
Honorary Recorder of Bolton, Judge Martin Walsh, told Ellis: “You have escaped going to prison by the skin of your teeth”.
Sentencing him to 18 months, suspended for two years, the judge added: “These offences pass the custodial threshold by a significant degree. They are repetitive in nature and they were committed a short period of time after he was given a suspended sentence.
“The one factor that allows me not to activate the suspended sentence is the progress you are making under the terms of the existing suspended sentence order, in regards to your work with the probation service.
“It seems to me that it would benefit you, the community at large and your former partner if you were to undertake a domestic abuse programme.”
Judge Walsh also imposed an additional restraining order to stop Ellis contacting his ex-girlfriend for another three years. He was also ordered to complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.