Nigel Kennedy’s son is jailed for drugs as court hears of ‘unconventional childhood’
Dealer found with £15,500 of cocaine had ‘lack of stability’ growing up with famous violinist as a father
THE SON of Nigel Kennedy, the violinist, has been jailed for drug dealing after he was caught “red-handed” with more than £15,000 worth of cocaine.
Worcester Crown Court heard that Sark Yves Amadeus Kennedy, 25 – who was in a car where police found almost 400 wraps of cocaine stuffed inside pairs of disposable gloves – had an “unconventional background” that lacked “stability”.
He told officials his drug dealing was a “one-off” but the court heard that Sark – whose Twitter profile picture appears to show him smoking a joint – was “up to his neck in the filthy trade” in an attempt to clear his debts after getting hooked on cocaine as a teenager.
His father, Nigel, 64, has admitted his own occasional use of cannabis to aid his creativity – telling German police who raided a post-concert party in 2010 that “I can’t do this job without it”.
Sark, who lives with his mother, Eve Westmore, in Malvern, Worcs, was jailed for 33 months after admitting possession with intent to supply cocaine. A second charge of possession of criminal property was allowed to lie on file.
Sentencing him on Tuesday, Recorder Martin Butterworth said: “I’m prepared to accept you had an addiction to cocaine since you were 18. It’s perfectly clear that there is a lot about you which would suggest that you are entirely capable of becoming a useful member of society.
“But you became involved in a very significant way in a filthy trade which produces serious and real harm to the people who use the drug.
“Whether you understand that, or care, I don’t know. Your attempt to present your drug-dealing activity in a more favourable light when interviewed by the probation service backfired for you.
“I had considered whether your attempt to hoodwink probation and the court suggested you were a more cynical drug dealer than I’m being asked to see you as.”
Nigel Kennedy, the so-called punk violinist who went from the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey to busking in front of Tiffany’s in New York before finding worldwide fame, once described his son as his “greatest achievement”. He separated from Ms Westmore when the boy was still small, although he would spend at least 10
‘You became involved in a very significant way in a filthy trade that produces serious harm to people who use the drug’
days a month with him. He also bought a £700,000 house in Malvern to be closer to them.
Sark grew up surrounded by music industry figures while with his father, who was at other times on tour or living with his second wife in Poland.
In 2000, the violinist told how he had bought Sark a “little fiddle and a little guitar”, saying he had a great sense of rhythm but that he did not want him to follow in his footsteps.
He said at the time: “He is very precious to me and when we are together, we just hang out and go and feed the horses and all the normal stuff dads and sons do … I would love Sark to grow up happy, and if he plays for Aston Villa, well, wouldn’t that be a great bonus? … I’m not sure I’d want him to be a fiddle player like me, though.”
He also admitted he had devoted his entire life to music and described it as “something I can rely on more than other relationships”.
The court heard that Sark – who in 2016 was attending music technology college to study sound engineering and computer programming – was pulled over by police in his Skoda Octavia on June 22 this year in Worcester.
Officers found 146g, or 389 wraps, of cocaine with 59 per cent purity with a street value of £15,560 inside the “stash car”. His Huawei mobile phone and two SIM cards were also seized. They revealed bulk text messages sent to numerous drug users.
A Rolex watch and gold chains worth £7,300 were also found on Sark.
An expert described his drug-dealing as “mid-market level” with the drugs to be handed to “multiple street dealers”.
John Cooper QC, defending, told the court: “He [Kennedy] has an unconventional background, an upbringing that could provide excitement perhaps but also, perhaps, a lack of stability.”
Mr Cooper told the court that Sark had been diagnosed with both ADHD and dyslexia, but added: “Whilst in custody he has made positive steps to address his drug addiction. There’s potential here.”