A drug dealer who's been hunted by police for a decade has finally been caught and appeared in Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, September 26. Mark Deary, from West Derby, was caught in 2011 when his home was sprayed with bullets and he pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply.
However, he then vanished and skipped bail in the lead up to his sentence date, which was meant to go ahead on January 12, 2012 and has been on the run since. An arrest warrant was issued but Deary was ultimately sentenced to seven years in prison while he was absent, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Only earlier this month, Deary, now 43, was named by Merseyside Police who are working on 'Operation Hunted', in an appeal for any information regarding his whereabouts, along with five other fugitives who have been missing for years. Following this appeal, Deary was tracked down and appeared in Liverpool Crown court yesterday.
There was confusion over details of the case in court yesterday due to the age of proceedings but the paper court file was tracked down, enabling Judge Brian Cummings, KC, to confirm key details. He pointed out that there was reference in the file to Deary making an unsuccessful passport application after he pleaded guilty, and before he absconded around the time he was due to attend a probation appointment.
Judge Cummings said: "It raises a relevant matter of intent. If there is a Bail Act offence it is clearly a very serious one given the extended time he has been at large and more serious if that sort of detail surrounded it." Deary was not asked to enter a plea to the Bail Act offence but the judge made an imprisonment order in relation to the seven year term so he can start serving that sentence.
Paul Lewis, defending, had earlier told the court that Deary believed he had already been sentenced for failing to attend in January 2012. Judge Cummings adjourned the matter until October 10 to enable more inquiries to be made by the prosecution including ascertaining the outcome of Proceeds of Crime proceedings.
Deary was first investigated in April 2010 after police received reports that his Allerford Road property had been shot at. A major investigation was launched and police raided a number of properties, including others linked to Deary.
At one address, also in West Derby, cocaine and cannabis worth a combined £200,000 were recovered and Deary was charged with supply offences.
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