Teen drug dealer who stabbed and killed 'county lines' rival Nasir Patrice sentenced to ten years detention - The Leamington Observer

Teen drug dealer who stabbed and killed 'county lines' rival Nasir Patrice sentenced to ten years detention

Leamington Editorial 24th Mar, 2021   0

THE TEEN drug dealer who killed ‘county lines’ rival Nasir Patrice by running him through with a sword has been sentenced to ten years detention.

The 17-year-old from Lewisham, London, who cannot be named because of his age, was found guilty at Warwick Crown Court of manslaughter but cleared of Nasir’s murder.

He was also convicted of wounding one of Nasir’s two companions, Abdul Moustapha, with intent and of perverting the court of justice by later disposing of blood-stained clothing..

The incident was a clash between rival drug dealers, after Natasha Owen allowed the defendant and two others to use her flat in Tachbrook Road, Leamington, as a base.




The defendant, described as a ‘runner’ supplying drugs, was staying at a guesthouse in Warwick with three of his associates but spent the night at the flat on January 14 last year.

The following morning Miss Owen was out when the buzzer went and homeless Christopher Galvin, who was also allowed to stay there on occasions, opened the door.


Prosecutor Michael Burrows QC said Mr Galvin was punched, and Nasir, Mr Moustapha and another pushed their way in.

Mr Galvin, who agreed that the defendant had been ‘set up’ to be robbed, although not by him, ran outside and heard someone shouting: “Put it down, put it down.”

The three intruders then ran out screaming for help, and Nasir collapsed on the ground, having received four stab wounds including one which had gone right through his body and one which had damaged his pulmonary artery, from which he died.

Giving evidence, the defendant, who was 16 at the time, said that when Mr Galvin opened the door, people ran inside and someone swung at him with ‘a Rambo knife,’ slashing him to the thigh as he put his legs up to defend himself.

He said he reached for his own knife, which was described by witnesses as a sword, and swung out with it, connecting with the intruder with the knife and a second one he had hit him to the head with something.

Of four wounds he inflicted on Nasir, one had gone right through his chest and lung and out the back, while another had damaged his pulmonary artery.

Before the four were sentenced, Mr Burrows pointed out the teenager had previous convictions including one for threatening with an offensive weapon.

Sentencing Nasir’s killer, Mr Justice Turner said: “The defendants were members of a county lines drug gang operating from London and had been sent to Leamington to supply heroin and crack cocaine to local addicts.”

“The home of Natasha Owen was chosen as one base. The defendant arrived at her flat together with drugs, cash and a weapon, a sword or zombie knife which was obviously capable of inflicting lethal injury.

“He had taken the sword with him to the flat with the specific purpose of using it if occasion arose.

“The trade of drug dealing inevitably involves clashes between rival gangs with often violent consequences. One such gang operated from Birmingham.

“Three of them had, it would appear, been tipped off the defendant was at Owen’s flat.

“They arrived intending to confront and they burst in, but underestimated the strength of the reception which would be awaiting them.

“At least one of them had a knife and struck the first blow, but what followed went far beyond reasonable self-defence, and one member of the rival gang suffered fatal injuries.

“One injury was inflicted with such severe force that the blade of the sword went clean through Patrice’s body and out the other side.

“Patrice’s death has had a devastating impact on his family.  It is shocking that someone so young should lose his life in such circumstances.”

The court heard that after the youth fled the scene as Nasir lay dying in the street outside, he got a taxi back to the Warwick guesthouse where he and the other three had been staying.

Nasir’s killer was given a concurrent term of eight years and nine months for wounding Mr Moustapha.

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