81-year-old getaway driver jailed for helping drug dealer escape

An 81-year-old man who acted as a getaway driver to overcome his “isolation” has been jailed for helping a drug dealer escape justice after stabbing a rival in a potentially fatal attack.

Ian Hemmens, of Chichester, West Sussex, was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court after being found guilty of assisting an offender, alleged to be Mahamud Sami, who has fled the country to Bahrain.

The retired burger van worker showed no emotion as he was told by Judge Roger Hetherington he would serve a jail term of nine months.

His co-defendant, Akeem Adebayo, 23, of Colindale, London, was jailed for nine years.

Judge Hetherington told Hemmens: “You assisted an offender by driving him away from the scene when you knew he must have been involved in a serious assault, you saw blood on him and you undoubtedly knew that he had been involved in drug dealing.”

The court heard that Hemmens had acted as a driver in his green Citroen C3 for Adebayo and his co-drug dealer, Mr Sami, from Chichester to Bognor Regis on March 10.

Amy Packham, prosecuting, told the court a dispute broke out with a rival “drug dealer”, Dimitrijs Semelis, from Lithuania which led to Adebayo and Mr Sami chasing him while families with young children were nearby.

She said: “He was seen to sprint to the car, jumped in the back of the car and disappeared into the footwell. Assisting the offender was effective – it not only took Mr Sami from the scene and prevent his arrest, it then allowed Mr Sami to leave the Chichester area and then the country.”

Mark Kessler, defending Hemmens, said: “It’s unusual to find a man of Mr Hemmens’ background in court at his age for a matter of this nature. It’s very strange indeed.”

Saying the client’s isolation had led to his involvement, he added: “The defendant admits that he likes talking to people, and that is why it has come about.”

Picture: PA.