'We are always watching' say police as CCTV catches prolific drug dealer hiding Class A stash in Kettering churchyard tree
A prolific criminal who was dealing cocaine and heroin in Kettering has been jailed for more than five years.
Liam Harridance was spotted by a police officer and a special constable on patrol in the Church Walk area of Kettering when they were made aware of a potential drug deal taking place nearby.
On June 2, 2024, Northants Police had been informed that a man – Harridance – was dealing and CCTV operators spotted the suspect who appeared to be hiding something in a tree before leaving the scene.
The 25-year-old was caught a short time later carrying two mobile phones and a quantity of cash on his person, while wraps of cocaine and heroin were discovered stashed next to the tree.
PC Tracy Maltby from Kettering’s Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “Liam Harridance made the mistake of thinking he could deal drugs in our town with impunity, but he was wrong - we are always watching and our proactive policing model allows us to respond to intelligence quickly and efficiently, as we did here.
“Tackling drug dealing is something we’re really passionate about in Kettering and we will continue working hard to bring more people like Harridance to justice.
"This was a fantastic result for our team. I’m very pleased with the sentence handed down and I hope this case demonstrates how important we believe visible, proactive neighbourhood policing is.
“That day, I was working alongside Special Constable Mitchell and we achieved this brilliant result together. Special constables are a very important part of our team, and I am thankful to him for volunteering his time that day.”
Harridance of Welham Green, Hatfield, was subsequently charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
After pleading guilty to the offences at Northampton Crown Court in July, Harridance returned to the same court last week (September 23) where he was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison.