Drugs gang filmed themselves raping ‘vulnerable’ victim
TWO West Lancashire men were among a crack cocaine and heroin gang convicted of the brutal rape of a vulnerable woman.
Brothers Jeffrey and Bradley Dillon, with Toxteth man Christopher Nimbley, targeted their victim while she was drunk and unresponsive.
Images of the sex attack were found when detectives investigating their Liverpool to Blackpool drugs gang – nicknamed “Carlos” – seized their phones as part of Lancashire police’s Operation Lawson, launched in 2016.
The gang, led by Nimbley, flooded the streets of Blackpool with Class A drugs.
The 37-year-old, of Wordsworth Street, Toxteth, was found to be running a drugs supply phone.
Addicts would call the number to place orders, which would then be sold to them by street dealers.
Jeffrey Dillon, 34, of Inglewhite, Skelmersdale, and Bradley Dillon, 19, of Lea Crescent, Ormskirk, were Nimbley’s “lieutenants” in Blackpool, operating out of a flat in Derby Road.
Undercover surveillance showed the Dillons were both using the dealer number before drug exchanges took place.
Nimbley was initially seen travelling to Toxteth at least three times a week, but the arrest of a customer in January 2017 seemed to force him to move back to Liverpool, leaving the Dillons in charge of the Blackpool operation.
The gang then operated on a “county lines” model – a system where vulnerable people are exploited and made to carry out orders.
In February 2017 police raided a Blackpool flat, where the Dillons were arrested for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Phones were seized along with digital scales and a small amount of cannabis and the psychoactive drug spice.
The scales were later found to contain traces of cocaine, heroin and cannabis.
A further warrant was then conducted at the flat in Derby Road, where more phones were seized along with plastic bags As officers examined later found to contain traces of seized mobile phones they came cocaine. across footage of Nimbley and
A raid on a flat in Mill Street, the Dillon brothers raping a Toxteth, where Nimbley was living woman who, according to police, at the “appeared to be unresponsive time, found throughout and was clearly documents intoxicated”. and identification She was later identified and confirmed she had never given linking him consent for any sexual activity to to the premises take place – and that she could – where not remember the incident. 14 grams of All three were arrested on suspicion 29% purity of rape and were found heroin and guilty following a trial at Preston two large Crown Court. white crack Det Ch Insp Rebecca Smith, of cocaine Blackpool’s policing team, said: rocks, valued “This investigation highlighted at about major criminal networks within £10,000, Blackpool with sophisticated were discovered. organised crime gangs from across the country moving their
The haul criminal activities and establishing also bases within this area. included “These operations are scales, packaging, extremely complex and take time tick to both investigate and bring to lists, mobile court so while the activity in this phones and case was in 2016 and 2017 we a chopping continue today to target gangs board which was covered in small like ‘Carlos’ as daily business and chips of white rock, consistent we remain committed to dismantling with producing crack cocaine. them.”
Other arrests and seizures followed She added: “The supply of in the following days. Class A drugs from urban hubs to
Nimbley, who was not at the county towns continues to be a Mill Street address when it was widespread issue in Lancashire. targeted, was arrested in Liverpool “County lines gangs pose a significant after a public appeal offered threat to vulnerable £5,000 for details of his whereabouts. adults and children upon whom they rely to facilitate and conduct their illegal activities. Exposure to this level of gang exploitation has the potential to create both emotional and physical harm and, as in this case, extreme sexual violence to a vulnerable woman.”
Mark Ansell, 41, of Lindbeck Road, Blackpool, acted as a driver for Nimbley, was also found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs along with Kerry Smith, 30, of Cuncliffe Road, Blackpool who was dealing the drugs.
The group will be sentenced at a later date.