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Mohamed Hassan has been jailed for 16 years after an undercover officer was subjected to a vicious assault which forced him to jump from a window to escape
The leader of a drugs gang who subjected an undercover police officer to a vicious Reservoir Dogs-style attack has been jailed.
Mohamed Hassan, 32, from Brockley, south London, launched the attack on the officer who jumped 12ft out of a first-floor window to escape the gang.
In a scene reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's 1992 film, the officer, identified only as Officer Deano, was attacked after a hidden recording device was spotted in his polo shirt during a crack cocaine and heroin deal at a drugs den in Basildon, Essex, in November 2012.
Hassan, the leader of drugs gang ‘The Bush Boys’, was sentenced to 16 years
imprisonment at Basildon Crown Court yesterday after he was found guilty of robbery of covert equipment, money laundering and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Perry Bohm, 19, from Woolwich, who held the undercover officer during the attack, was sentenced to seven years in jail after he was also found guilty of robbery of covert equipment. He pleaded guilty to supplying Class A drugs at an earlier hearing.
Judge Owen Davies QC told Basildon Crown Court: 'There was in operation a well-oiled machine which enabled drug users to obtain drugs 24/7, seven days a week, using a mobile telephone number.
'At one address, within yards of this court, the gang took up residence.
'The operation culminated in a dramatic incident on November 26, 2012, after the syndicate cottoned-on to the fact members were being arrested and there was suspicion the gang had been infiltrated.
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The officer jumped 12ft out of a first-floor window at this flat in Basildon, Essex, after he was attacked
'Officer Deano found himself in a flat alone when Hassan turned up, confronted him, assaulted him while he was held by two others and robbed him of surveillance equipment.
'Deano was defenceless and cornered - he made the decision to jump out of the window before Hassan returned with a knife.'
The Bush Boys - who were based in London - set up a sophisticated business operation offering Class A drugs from safe houses and hotel rooms across Basildon, Essex.
A specific drugs hotline was manned 24/7 and advertised to addicts through brazen mobile phone messages bragging about the quality of their heroin and crack cocaine.
Essex Police managed to infiltrate the gang but on November 26, 2012, gang leader Hassan confronted undercover officer Deano during a deal at a barricaded drugs den in Basildon, Essex, and discovered his recording device.
Hassan and Bohm began kicking and punching the officer before Hassan left the room briefly to find a knife, loudly declaring: 'I’m going to shank the c***.'
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In a scene reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's 1992 film Reservoir Dogs, the officer, identified only as Officer Deano, was attacked after a hidden recording device was spotted in his polo shirt during a crack cocaine and heroin deal
In court the officer described the experience as the most terrifying of his career.
Giving evidence from behind a screen to protect his identity, he told the court: 'I was terrified and in genuine fear for my safety and well-being.
'At that time I’d been an enforcement officer for 12-and-a-half years, involved in numerous frightening situations, but nothing compared to the fear I felt at that moment.
'Officer Deano found himself in a flat alone when Hassan turned up, confronted him, assaulted him while he was held by two others and robbed him of surveillance equipment. Deano was defenceless and cornered - he made the decision to jump out of the window before Hassan returned with a knife'
- Judge Owen Davies QC
'I was aware the front door was barricaded so the only exit I could reasonably consider was the window.'
As Hassan went to collect a knife from another room, the officer shoulder charged his way through a first-floor window before sprinting to safety.
A jury found Hassan and Bohm guilty of robbery of covert equipment following a three-month trial at Basildon Crown Court last summer.
Hassan was also found guilty of money laundering and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Bohm pleaded guilty to supplying Class A drugs at an earlier hearing.
Thomas Symons was jailed for four years after admitting conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at an earlier hearing.
The 19-year-old from Woolwich was however cleared by the jury of any involvement in the attack.
CPS East of England Senior District Crown Prosecutor, Punam Malhan, paid tribute to the bravery of undercover officer Deano who risked his life to infiltrate the gang.
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The window the officer jumped out of was around 12ft above the pavement
She said: 'The dismantling of this gang was the result of a year-long police operation by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.
'In particular, one undercover police officer put his life on the line when he was forced to jump out of a window to save himself after the gang discovered his true identity.
'This officer gave compelling evidence in court of the gang’s activities and we would like to pay tribute to his bravery.'
Hassan and Bohm were sentenced at Basildon Crown Court yesterday alongside a number of other lower level dealers involved with ‘The Bush Boys’.
Detective Superintendent Tracy Hawkings, said: 'Drug-dealing and substance abuse have a devastating effect on communities and are the predominant causes of other forms of crime.
'Drug addicts are often forced into committing crime in order to finance and feed their addiction.
'This has a huge impact on the local community who have to suffer drug-dealers operating in their neighbourhoods and be exposed to the associated intimidation and violence.
'I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of one of our officers who was seriously injured in the course of his work.
'He has now recovered but showed remarkable bravery in a situation I honestly believe he was lucky to escape from with his life.'
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