A man has been jailed for more than four years for supplying Class A drugs linked to the Ecstasy death of a much loved York teenager.
Alexander Payne, 20, was at the forefront of a drug conspiracy in which large amounts of cocaine and MDMA – the crystallised form of Ecstasy – were peddled on the streets of York.
In September 2020, teenager Josh Reeson was found on Hospital Fields Road after taking a “significant quantity” of Ecstasy. He died in hospital later that night – two days after his 15th birthday.
A post-mortem revealed that the teenager, from New Earswick, died from multiple organ failure linked to his use of MDMA in the hours before his hospitalisation.
Payne appeared for sentence at York Crown Court today (Thursday).
Alongside him were co-defendants Sian Roe, 38, and 22-year-old Jay Baxter, who both admitted one count of conspiring to produce Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive element of cannabis, but their offences played no part in Joshua’s death.
A fourth suspect, Joseph Gilchrest, 21, of Cherry Wood Crescent, York, pleaded guilty to failing to disclose a passcode to allow investigators access to a device. He was sentenced to eight months in prison last December.
Five people including the three defendants were initially arrested on suspicion of conspiring to supply cocaine and MDMA in connection with the teenager’s death. Roe and Baxter denied the allegations and their pleas were accepted by the prosecution.
Payne also admitted conspiring to supply THC-infused cannabis edibles, possessing LSD with intent to supply and possessing ketamine while on bail for the cocaine-and-Ecstasy offences, as well as possessing cocaine with intent to supply.
Cocaine and MDMA seized
Prosecutor Christopher Moran said police turned up at York Hospital on the morning of 27 September, 2020, after Josh had been admitted “due to complications arising from drugs he had taken some hours earlier”.
“Tragically, Joshua passed away,” added Mr Moran.
A Home Office pathologist said Josh died from multiple organ failure caused by his taking a “large amount” of MDMA or Ecstasy.
Police launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death and turned up at Sian Roe’s home in Tang Hall. Payne and Baxter were also at the house.
During a search of the property, officers found a vast array of drugs inside a bedroom and in the kitchen including cocaine, cannabis, just under 180g of MDMA with an estimated street value of up to £7,000 and bottles of THC worth over £600.
They also seized a grip-seal bag containing over six grammes of very-high-purity cocaine worth up to £800 which appeared to have been “bulked out” with a cutting agent to maximise profit.
In the kitchen, they found MDMA tablets worth an estimated £2,760 if sold on the street. Another bag contained 55 green-coloured Ecstasy tablets “bearing the image of the Star Wars character Yoda” with a street value of about £550.
Police also discovered weighing scales and further paraphernalia indicative of “producing cannabis in edible form, including a list of ingredients” for cannabis sweets and other edibles.
Officers found a “large quantity” of cannabis, namely 14 grip-seal bags weighing a total 863 grammes and with a street value of about £440.
All those present were arrested as police seized several mobile phones and other electronic devices for inspection.
Escape bid
An iPad and two phones revealed that Payne had been advertising drugs for sale and searching the internet for tips on how to grow cannabis.
Payne remained silent while being quizzed by officers and was arrested again in November 2020, while on bail, after officers spotted him cycling near York University.
“He was searched and they found a bag,” said Mr Moran.
“He tried to run away but was apprehended and handcuffed.”
During his escape bid, the contents of the bag – namely 21 green ‘Yoda’ MDMA tablets – had spilled onto the ground.
In June 2021, while he was still on bail, police found 13 grip-seal bags of LSD and nine bags of Ketamine worth up to £315 inside a dog-waste bin near Payne’s then home in Wheldrake.
The drugs were forensically linked to him through his DNA.
Messages found on two of his phones following this arrest showed that he had been contacting potential customers on Snapchat boasting that he had “good-quality cocaine and THC-infused products to sell”.
He told prospective buyers that his “cali weed” – a premium-quality, Californian variety of marijuana – was “higher quality than UK weed”.
In October 2022, again while on bail, Payne was driving a Seat Leon which was stopped by police on the A64 just outside York. Officers found 125g of cocaine wrapped in a plastic bag and hidden in a compartment between the central console and the gear stick.
The drugs had a street value of up to £20,800. Police also found £925 cash and some cannabis.
Mr Moran said that Payne was selling directly to users and could have been expected to make “significant” profits during a period of about two years.
‘Immeasurable’ loss
In victim statements not read out in court, Joshua’s mother and older brother described their loss as “immeasurable”.
Defence barrister Ayman Khokar, for Payne, qualified his mitigation by citing the “inevitable suffering felt by Joshua Reeson’s loved ones”.
He added that Payne, who had five previous convictions for offences including cannabis possession and acquisitive crime, embarked on the drug conspiracy when he was just 15 years’ old and it all unravelled when he was 18.
He said that at the time, Payne – lately of Overdale Road, Middlesbrough – was addicted to cocaine following a turbulent childhood spent largely in care.
He said that since his final arrest in October 2022, Payne had turned his life around, held down two jobs and had been planning to study at Leeds College with the aim of becoming a social worker.
Laura Addy, for Roe, said her client was effectively of previous good character and had caring responsibilities as a mother to many children and grandchildren.
She stressed that although Roe’s offence had “no relation in what happened to Joshua Reeson, she, as a mother, will very much understand and feel the emotions that his family have gone through”.
Rukhshanda Hussain, for Baxter, said her client’s role was limited to producing cannabis edibles between January and December 2020 and that he, like Roe, had no idea of the scale of the wider operation.
She said that despite a subsequent conviction for possessing cannabis in 2021, he too was effectively of good character and now ran his own business.
‘Anguish’ for family
Judge Simon Hickey noted the terrible suffering of Joshua’s grief-stricken family, adding: “No sentence I can pass can measure their loss and their anguish.”
He said that Class A drug dealers like Payne were trading in “degradation, misery and death”.
“In this case, there was a death, so the ripples are enormous,” added Mr Hickey.
Jailing Payne for four-and-a-half years, the judge told him that Joshua’s death was a “significant aggravating factor” in his litany of drug offences.
Roe and Baxter were each spared prison because of their limited criminal records, their family responsibilities and the fact they were only involved in the THC conspiracy which had no bearing on Joshua’s death.
Roe received an 18-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work.
Baxter – formerly of Lime Tree Avenue, New Earswick, but who had been bailed to an address in Barker Drive, Market Weighton – was also given an 18-month community order with 100 hours’ unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation-activity days.
‘Is it worth it?’
Following sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer, Nichola Holden said: “My thoughts are with Joshua’s family and friends.
“We would urge anyone who is involved in this type of criminality to look at the death of Joshua and ask the question, is it worth it?
“The use of drugs in York and North Yorkshire will not be tolerated and we will continue with our fight to take drugs off the streets to prevent any further tragic incidents of this nature.
“The sentencing of Gilchrest in December last year also shows that if a suspect is not willing to cooperate with the police as the law states they should, then we will ensure that they face the consequences for this.”