Northampton man who murdered toddler son sentenced over £50,000 drug-dealing racket

A total of five men have been jailed for their involvement in bringing around £50,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine into Northamptonshire.
Raphael Kennedy, aged 31 and formerly of Arthurs Way.Raphael Kennedy, aged 31 and formerly of Arthurs Way.
Raphael Kennedy, aged 31 and formerly of Arthurs Way.

Among the gang was Raphael Kennedy, aged 31, formerly of Arthur Street, Kingsthorpe Hollow, who was jailed in October 2018 for 24 years after being found guilty of beating to death his two-year-old son Dylan in December 2017.

The drugs charges arose after a police search of a Northampton house in September 2017 revealed a ‘safe house’ containing heroin, adulterants and drug paraphernalia.

Also inside was the gang’s bookkeeper, Philip Tyrrell.

A Northants heroin gang has been jailed for 38 years.A Northants heroin gang has been jailed for 38 years.
A Northants heroin gang has been jailed for 38 years.
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Further enquiries by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), supported by Northamptonshire Police, found Craig Bosworth to be running the illicit operation, while Nathan Leeson and Daniel Doyle ran the day-to-day dealings.

Raphael Kennedy, meanwhile, bought drugs wholesale from Craig Bosworth and supplied to his own customers.

In January last year, a vehicle carrying £5,400-worth of heroin was intercepted as it returned to the East Midlands from Oxford.

The men, who are all from Northamptonshire, were arrested and charged.

Daniel Doyle, aged 29 and formerly of St Leonards Court.Daniel Doyle, aged 29 and formerly of St Leonards Court.
Daniel Doyle, aged 29 and formerly of St Leonards Court.
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All five pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs between October 2016 and April 2018. On Tuesday 29 January 2019 they were jailed as follows:

• Raphael Kennedy, aged 31 and formerly of Arthur’s Way: six years (to be served concurrently with his sentence for murder)

• Craig Bosworth, aged 34 and formerly of Byfield Road, St James: 10 years

• Daniel Doyle, aged 29 and formerly of St Leonard’s Court, Far Cotton: eight years

Philip Tyrrell, aged 38 and formerly of St Leonards Court.Philip Tyrrell, aged 38 and formerly of St Leonards Court.
Philip Tyrrell, aged 38 and formerly of St Leonards Court.
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• Philip Tyrrell, aged 38 and formerly of St Leonard’s Court, Far Cotton: eight years

• Nathan Leeson, aged 32 and of no fixed address: six years.

A sixth man was acquitted of any involvement following a trial last week.

EMSOU’s Detective Chief Inspector Lee Ferguson said: “During the course of our investigation we found Bosworth and his associates were responsible for conspiring to bring multiple kilos of heroin and crack cocaine into Northamptonshire.

“From the orchestrator to the book keeper, all had their part to play in supplying such destructive drugs into our communities and as a result will now spend the foreseeable future behind bars.”