A convicted drug dealer who was on the run for years and gave police the wrong details has been arrested. Driving a Vauxhall Astra, Richard Brown was stopped by officers in Main Street, Papplewick, on April 23, due to the car being insured by a woman.
The 30 year old has been a wanted man since 2018, and at that time the officers who had pulled him over didn’t know. Mr Brown gave the wrong details to the police, however, the image of the person whose details he gave was clearly not him.
Mr Brown eventually went on to give his real name and date of birth. Checks revealed he had been on the run for four years. He failed to give himself up when his prison parole licence was rescinded.
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Previously, Mr Brown had been jailed for three years for possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs. He was released from jail on parole in 2017. However, Mr Brown, of no fixed address, had failed to keep up appointments with his supervisor, and in March 2018 a letter was sent to him to say he was being recalled to prison.
But he didn’t surrender himself or try to reach his supervisor. Checks were made to his last known address and it was found that he had moved away. Mr Brown was not located and remained unlawfully at large for years. It wasn’t until this year in April when he was finally caught.
Chief Inspector Paul Hennessy, of Nottinghamshire Police, said Brown’s efforts to con police were never going to succeed. He said: “Criminals often tell lies in an effort to avoid arrest but our officers are not easily fooled.
“In this case, Brown was stopped by officers who were alert to the fact he was driving a vehicle insured only to a female. This demonstrated their vigilance and attentiveness - yet Brown still naively believed he could trick them by providing false details.
“He was wrong. Thanks to the competency of the officers concerned, Brown’s time on the run was up. I am pleased he has now been returned to prison and hope this serves as a reminder that if you run from the law, sooner or later you will be caught.”
Paying tribute to the officers involved in Brown’s capture, Chief Inspector Hennessy added: “Any arrest of a fugitive is a fantastic result, even more so since Brown had been a wanted man for four years.
“Thanks to their efforts, Brown has been returned to the Criminal Justice System – an excellent result that demonstrates there is nowhere safe to hide."
Under the terms of a standard recall, Brown will remain in prison until the end of his original sentence or until a parole board deems him suitable for release.
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