County lines drug dealer jailed after stabbing victim in Dover
17:54, 24 March 2022
updated: 18:16, 24 March 2022
A county lines drug dealer who stabbed a man in Dover after suspecting he was dealing for a rival gang has been jailed.
Callum Andrews was dealing drugs for the 'Culture' county line when he attacked his victim at a property in Balfour Road which he used as a base.
The victim suffered serious wounds to his chest and was flown to a London hospital where he received life-saving treatment.
Following an investigation, Andrews was arrested six days later in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire.
Andrews, of no fixed address, was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH).
Today he was jailed for 13 years at Cambridge Crown Court.
The 22-year-old was also sentenced for GBH in relation to an investigation by Bedfordshire Police, meaning his total sentence is 20 years.
He will also serve an extended five-year period on licence after that.
The Dover case related to a property which had been cuckooed, a process where criminal networks exploit vulnerable people by using their home as a base for dealing drugs.
An investigation by Kent Police found that Andrews travelled from London in October 2020 and visited the property before leaving in the early hours and staying in a hotel.
He returned to the house at 9.15am and had a chance meeting with the victim, who he suspected of dealing for a rival gang.
'I am pleased our investigation has contributed to him being removed from the streets for a considerable amount of time ...'
Andrews pulled a large knife from his waistband and stabbed the man in the chest, shoulder and hands.
He then ran from the scene and got a taxi to Ashford. From there he took a train to Ebbsfleet and was driven from Kent by an associate.
After the attack, the victim walked to nearby Beaconsfield Road, where he collapsed from his injuries, and emergency services attended.
Detectives managed to trace Andrews' movements on the days he was in Dover from CCTV, and he was arrested on October 12.
His DNA was found on a mug he had drunk from at the scene and a phone he had used while in Dover.
Investigating officer DC Becki Thomas, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "This case illustrates all too clearly how the activity of county line gangs can quickly turn into acts of serious violence.
"The injuries suffered by the victim could so easily have been fatal and I would like to praise the police officers who provided first aid at the scene and all of the medics who treated him.
"This crime, and the other offence Andrews committed elsewhere in the country, show him to be an extremely dangerous man and I am pleased our investigation has contributed to him being removed from the streets for a considerable amount of time.
"Kent Police will continue to track, disrupt and arrest members of county line networks to keep the violence and misery they bring with them out of our county."
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