One of Northamptonshire's most prolific young criminals with shocking record back in jail

Gawain Benson, who at just 20-years-old is one of the county’s most prosecuted young offenders, has been sent to jail once again after being caught dealing with an accomplice.

Reece Dutton, 24, has also been imprisoned after he was found working with Benson.

The pair were arrested on December 18 last year.

Dutton, formerly of Dulley Avenue, Wellingborough, and Benson, formerly of Headlands, Northampton, admitted their roles in the organised dealing operation in Wellingborough when they appeared before Northampton Crown Court earlier this month.

Between June and December 2024, the pair dealt Class A drugs via the “Jack Line”.

The line was in Benson’s control with Dutton serving to customers.

Both men peddled a large quantity of Class A drugs across the county for months, eventually being arrested in December.

Dutton was arrested in Wellingborough town centre where he was found with a quantity of heroin and crack cocaine, a large amount of cash, and a mobile phone linked to the drugs line.

Benson was arrested at his home address Northampton, in possession of the Jack Line phone and a large quantity of cash.

Benson, of The Headlands, Nothampton, pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine between May 30, 2024, and December 19, 2024; supplying heroin on December 18; possession of cannabis and possession of a shank in HMP Peterborough on February 7 this year, while he was on remand.

Dutton pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine between August 29, 2024, and December 19, 2024; supplying heroin between August 30 and December 19 and being in possession of criminal property (cash).

Lead investigator - Detective Constable Joe Sheffield said: “This was a complex investigation into a local drug line, and I am really pleased it has resulted in these prison sentences.

“Although Benson was in charge of the line, I consider Dutton to be as equally culpable as both were actively involved in the supply of Class A drugs across the county. They were making money not only through criminal means, but by supplying drugs to addicts who are often some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

“I hope they reflect on their offences during their time in prison and understand that Northamptonshire Police will not allow them to continue their offending upon their release should they return to crime.”

Despite Benson’s young age, he has amassed an incredible number of previous convictions for serious offences and has dealt drugs across Northamptonshire.

Dutton has previous convictions for driving without a licence and insurance from 2019. In 2024 he was caught driving drunk, with no insurance or licence after stealing a car in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire and was later given a community order in the magistrates’ court.

In November last year police issued magistrates’ court proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act to detain £1,100 in cash from Dutton that they believed to be criminal property. He was then charged with drug dealing in December.

The pair were before His Honour Judge Robert Brown for sentence on March 6. Benson was given six years in prison, and Dutton three years.

Gawain Benson's shocking criminal history

Gawain Benson has a long criminal history dating back to when he was a child. Now aged just 20, he is perhaps Northamptonshire’s most prolific young offender.

In 2018, aged just 13, he began absconding from his home in Northampton and police had to repeatedly appeal for help to find him. Then, aged 14, he was before Northampton Crown Court for assault on a female family member.

Just a few months later he was accused of being involved in a horrifying gangland attack during which a group of six repeat offenders stomped on a young male victim in Northampton as part of a misguided revenge attack. The GBH charge against Benson was eventually dropped and the ringleaders, Derek Harris and Oshayne Spencer, were imprisoned.

Age 15 he was accused of another common assault against a male victim and it emerged in court he had become involved in a serious drug organised crime gang. He appeared before a court to plead guilty to charges of dealing crack and knife possession in Kettering in 2020.

And while in bail for those offences, he was caught with a machete and 206 wraps of crack cocaine in Midland Road, Wellingborough, in 2021 when he was only 16. During that incident he assaulted two police officers.

But while awaiting trial, just a month later, he was found in Northampton in possession of a noxious liquid and while being held, he assaulted two custody officers and caused damage to a cell.

He did not turn up for these court appearances so magistrates issued warrants for his arrest.

He was eventually given a 12 month youth detention order after admitting two counts of possession of a blade, two counts of possession with intent to crack cocaine, possession with intent to supply heroin and possession of cannabis.

But when he was released from custody in 2022, still aged just 17, he almost immediately breached the terms of his release and was sent back into detention for four weeks.

In April 2022 he was charged with being part of a class-A drug dealing operation with three other young men, denying the offences and opting to stand trial at crown court.

And then in September of that year he separately admitted being in possession of a large quantity of cash, assaulting a police officer and possession with intent to supply cannabis in Kettering

He was jailed, and while in HMP Peterborough in February 2024, he was found with a sharpened piece of wood to be used as a shank.

He was released from prison but by August last year, he was again dealing drugs. He was arrested along with Reece Dutton in December.

Benson could not be named at the time of any of these offences because of his age. But the automatic reporting restrictions imposed on juveniles in courts expire when they reach the age of 18.