06 December 2023 , 14:00
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Dramatic footage shows the moment a police officer hopped on a stranger's bike to chase down a drug dealer.
The frantic incident on August 23 began when a member of the public rang police to report a possible drug deal taking place near Northampton town centre.
When police turned up, Sean Christopher Prosser, 28, quickly tried to escape the scene on a bicycle. But PC Lewis Marks was one step ahead of him, and drove his police vehicle to Beckets Park, where he believed Prosser may be heading.
His hunch turned out to be correct, and when he arrived outside the park a member of the public pointed him in the direction of Prosser, who was already cycling across it.
The quick-thinking police officer and a helpful member of the public teamed up to take down a drug dealer in Northampton (Police handout)Knowing his police car couldn't go in the park and that he would not be able to catch up with him on foot, PC Marks asked another member of the public whether he could borrow his bike. The policeman used it to cycle across the grass and intercept the drug dealer opposite St John’s car park.
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Video footage released by Northamptonshire Police captures the nail-biting finale of the bike chase, with a man heard shouting as the officer's wheels slammed into Prosser's. Following a search, Prosser was found to be in possession of a large quantity of cash and phones with messages related to drugs supply on them. A CT scan the next day also identified a plugged kinder egg toy case, which contained wraps of heroin and crack cocaine.
Christopher Prosser, aged 28, was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison (Police handout)Prosser was charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, escaping from lawful custody, acquiring, using or possessing criminal property, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, and being concerned in the supply of heroin. He pleaded guilty to the offences at Northampton Crown Court at the beginning of October and returned on December 1, where he was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison.
Northamptonshire Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Beth Warren said: “This incident was an example of good old fashioned policing where our officers and members of the public worked together to take down a man whose actions were a blight on the community.
“The quick-thinking of PC Marks ensured Prosser was arrested swiftly and I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank the member of the public who let us borrow his bike. Tackling drug harm is a matter of priority for Northamptonshire Police and I hope this case demonstrates how quickly we act on community intelligence in order to make our town a nicer place to live.”