Southport Visiter

Infamous Gelling brother is jailed for his part in town drugs plot

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A BROTHER has joined his killer sibling in jail after the pair dominated cocaine supply in Southport.

Notorious James and Jordan Gelling, nicknamed ‘Brothers Grim’, flooded the area with cocaine and cannabis between June 2018 and October 2020 as part of the ‘High Parkers Gang’.

Last Monday James Gelling, 33, was jailed for eight years for helping head up the conspiracy alongside Nathan Ball, who was locked up for 12 years.

While playing a significan­t role in the gang and manning graft phones, James Gelling killed a dad-of-two who was on his way home following the Liverpool Champions League final win in June 2019.

James Gelling, of Hampton Road, Southport, was part of a gang of seven who attacked Ventsislav Marginov, 51, after they watched Liverpool’s win.

He delivered a fatal blow which left Mr Marginov suffering a fractured skull which led to his death on June 4.

James Gelling was jailed for six years after admitting manslaught­er, but has now been sent back to jail at Liverpool Crown Court for his part in the drugs plot, which flogged ‘Cookie dawg’ and ‘Dam Critical Haze’.

The following day, his brother Jordan Gelling was sent to join him after a court heard he was a “trusted lieutenant” over the two year conspiracy.

He was jailed alongside five other members of the gang

Zillah Williams, prosecutin­g, said Jordan Gelling had a “significan­t role within the group with both operationa­l and managerial functions within the supply chain” and had “involved others through pressure and intimidati­on”.

In January 2019 Jordan Gelling and co-accused Kieran Bradshaw were found and arrested in the flat of a vulnerable man they had ‘Cuckooed’.

Jordan Gelling’s ‘cocaine line’ graft phone was seized on which officers found a video of him “arguing with his girlfriend in which she claims the ‘graft phone and them people’ are the most important things to him” and she “threatens to get him kicked off the phone”.

On October 18, 2019, he was also arrested after police stopped a car he was in and found he had “four wraps of cannabis in his boxer shorts” as well as two phones.

On one of the phones Ms Williams said there was “a large amount of cocaine dealing messages” and he also sent a “batch apology” to customers for not being available, before telling them he had “fat bags of haze”.

Jordan Gelling has 27 conviction­s for 44 offences including robbery, burglary and theft.

Jesse Fashoni, who also admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis, also “involved others through pressure” and was “involved in Cuckooing”.

Ms Williams said he had a business called Gleam Clean UK, “believed to be a front for his criminal activity”.

Fashoni, who has seven conviction­s for 15 offences, was arrested on August 10, 2018 after £14,276 worth of cannabis was seized from a property on Poplar Street in Southport and £1,020 in cash was recovered.

He was later arrested in December 2019 and police found Whatsapp chats after seizing his phone.

Ms Williams said: “In a chat with a convicted drug dealer Ryan Evans, Fashoni boasts about sending batch messages and how he has ‘been doing it for 10 years’.”

The court heard Kieran Bradshaw, Lewis Appleby and Peter Ball - Nathan

Ball’s brother – were all also involved in the conspiracy to varying degrees.

Jordan Gelling, Fashoni, Bradshaw, Appleby, and Peter Ball all admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis and were jailed for nine years.

Brandon Culshaw admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Lloyd Morgan, defending dad-of-six Jordan Gelling, said he didn’t have “exclusive use” of the cocaine line graft phone and said he only has one previous conviction for drugs.

Mr Morgan said: “He is still a young man with some hope.”

Brendan Carville, defending Fashoni, said he has shown “remorse”, and said one of his previous conviction­s related to him taking drugs to Morocco. He said he has a long term partner who gave birth to their child while he was in prison, and added he has had five operations on his skin since he has been in prison, but gave no further detail in open court.

Simon Christie, defending dad-ofthree Bradshaw, said he was involved in the conspiracy for nine months out of the two years and explained he took drugs himself.

Bradshaw has 15 previous conviction­s for 19 offences including robbery.

Jason Smith, defending Ball, who has 17 previous conviction­s for 22 offences, said he has a “very young family” and has “shown remorse”.

Paul Becker, representi­ng Appleby, said he had moved to Manchester “a few months prior to the end of the conspiracy” to “get out of the area” and to stop using drugs.

He said Appleby, who has 11 previous conviction­s for 14 offences, was “sorry for his involvemen­t”.

Jeremy Lasker, defending Culshaw, said he became involved when “certain conspirato­rs were being coercive and controllin­g”.

He said Culshaw, who has no previous conviction­s, was involved for between eight and nine months.

Judge Garrett Byrne, sentencing, said: “The defendants, I hope, are aware of the harm this activity causes, not only in society in general but also to themselves and their families who now have to do without their support for a considerab­le period of time.”

The judge said he accepted Jordan Gelling was a “trusted member of this group” and was “bagging and selling drugs and using the cocaine graft phone”.

Sentencing Culshaw the judge said he “performed specific functions” including “storing and bagging” and was a “trusted member of the group but was subservien­t to more senior members”.

The judge noted he was “only involved during an eight or nine month period” and said there may have been an “element of pressure”.

Culshaw, who has no previous conviction­s, was jailed for five years.

 ??  ?? ● James Gelling
● James Gelling

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