Drug dealer who hid abroad for 13 years and brought back to UK spared jail

Drug dealer who hid abroad for 13 years and brought back to UK spared jail

A DRUG dealer who was hiding in South Africa for more than a decade and brought back to the UK has been spared jail.

Thirteen Years, Extradition And Taxpayers' Money And Drug Dealer Walks Free - Dorset Eye

After more than a decade of investigation, international extradition proceedings, and significant public resources spent, a convicted drug dealer has walked free from court without serving a single day in prison. Richard Ronald Hawksworth, 41, of Longbridge Deverill in Wiltshire, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on 23 April 2025 for conspiracy to supply Class B drugs — offences dating back over 13 years. Despite the gravity of the case, …