A drug dealer who'd taken a beating recorded his injured face on his phone in a scene remincent of Travis Bickle in psychological thriller drama Taxi Driver. Daniel Bickerton used his phone to film himself complaining that "people would pay the consequences", followed by the sound of him racking the slide of a pistol off camera, and images of him loading and pointing a gun at the camera phone.
Nottingham Crown Court heard it was similar to a scene by Bickle, played by Robert De Niro, who buys several guns and takes to carrying them – taped to his limbs, for example, or in hidden spring-loaded holsters - and pointing them at a mirror as he practised his moves.
Bickerton, 40, was arrested after police raided his small flat in Princes Street, Mansfield, on June 30, finding his kitchen, bathroom and bedroom full of illegal and legal weapony and drugs. Powdered cocaine was in his pocket (54 grams), and under a cushion he was sat on was a loaded 9mm blank-firing pistol - which was incapable of discharge.
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Scales, £570, mobile phones, and a working shotgun, often described as a "garden gun", were seized with live viable ammo. Despite denying dealing in drugs, the truth became clearer when a Samsung phone was analysed.
His dealing dated back to March last year, and he had "proudly boasted", said Jon Fountain, prosecuting, of being able to make high-quality crack cocaine, "the best in the area". Photos on his phone revealed large one-ounce blocks of crack coaine - which he seemed to have manufactured from powered cocaine.
Messages offered to supply both cocaine and crack cocaine - and cocaine from small deals to an ounce. The handgun was described as an imitation, but a great deal of work had been carried out on it.
"The reason for possessing that firearm, the Crown say, cannot be untangled from his enterprise supplying controlled drugs - undoubtedly, as seen, he has a fascination with weapons," the court was told. Judge Steven Coupland sentenced Bickerton overall to five-and-a-half years in prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence (the poorly coverted pistol), possessing the shotgun, possessing ammunition and supply of cocaine and crack cocaine.
The judge said police found large knives, a spear, axes and two firearms at the flat - there was no purpose in having those firearms "other than for a serious criminal purpose - either by you or somebody else".
"What you were involved in were two prevalent crimes in Nottingham - both possession of firearms and supply of drugs".
Detective Inspector Nick Hall, of Nottinghamshire Police, had said: “The force will use all investigative means at its disposal to crack down on weapon-enabled crime and reduce the availability of firearms."
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