Nigel Kennedy’s son jailed over £15k of cocaine
SArK Yves Amadeus Kennedy has been jailed for drug dealing after he was caught ‘red-handed’ with more than £15,000 worth of cocaine.
The 25-year-old son of punk violinist Nigel Kennedy was in a car when he was stopped by police who found almost 400 wraps of cocaine stuffed inside pairs of disposable gloves, a rolex watch and gold chain.
He later told probation officers his drug dealing was a ‘one-off’ but a judge said he was ‘up to his neck in the filthy trade’ in a bid to clear debts after getting hooked on the Class A drug at the age of 18.
The court heard he had an ‘unconventional background’, although no specific mention was made of his famous father – the biggest-selling classical artist of all time.
Musician Kennedy, 64, has admitted on multiple occasions to taking drugs and once said ‘I can’t do my job’ without smoking cannabis.
His son, who lives with his mother Eve Westmore, 52, in Malvern, Worcestershire, was jailed for 33 months after admitting possession with intent to supply cocaine.
He was boxed in by police after they carried out surveillance on his suspect Skoda Octavia in June, Worcester Crown Court heard.
Officers found 146g or 389 wraps of cocaine with 59 per cent purity stashed inside the hatchback during the stop in Worcester’s St Johns district. The cocaine had a street value of £15,560.
As well as the jewellery worth £7,300, his Huawei mobile phone with two SIM cards was also seized which revealed bulk SMS messages sent out to drug users.
The court heard police also found he had stuffed 0.4g ‘cocaine shots’ inside the fingers of petrol station gloves which he sold for £40 each.
Kennedy junior’s only previous conviction was in December 2019 for driving under the influence of drink or drugs.
His father – a former child prodigy whose hedgehog-style haircut, unconventional attire and frequent swearing are all at odds with the image of a traditional classical musician – shot to fame with his 2million-selling Vivaldi: The Four Seasons recording in 1989.
Kennedy has a home in Poland with his second wife Agnieszka. It has a recording studio big enough to hold a chamber orchestra.