Pensioner, 81, who became gang getaway driver ‘because he was lonely’ is jailed

Ian Hemmens helped two men escape after they nearly stabbed and killed a rival dealer in Bognor Regis.

An 81-year-old man who became a getaway driver to combat loneliness and helped two men escape after they stabbed a rival drug dealer has been jailed.

Ian Hemmens helped out the suspects – Akeem Adebayo and Mahamud Sami – after they nearly killed Dimitrijs Semelis.

The pensioner drove the men to Bognor Regis on March 10 where they confronted Mr Semelies and then he picked them up afterwards.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard the two men had chased Mr Semelis in front of families with children.

Adebayo then held Mr Semelis on the ground and shouted ‘just f*** stab him’, which Sami did five or six times.

Hemmens, of Chichester, West Sussex had remained in contact with Sami who arranged for him to bring the car nearby to pick him up, the court heard.

Amy Packham, prosecuting, said: ‘He (Mr Sami) was seen to sprint to the car, jumped in the back of the car and disappeared into the footwell.

‘The assisting the offender was effective, it not only took Mr Sami from the scene and prevent his arrest, it then allowed Mr Sami to leave the Chichester area and then the country.

‘The last know whereabouts is he was on a flight to Bahrain.

‘There is an all ports warning out for him which has not been triggered yet.’

Mr Semelis, a Lithuanian national, suffered a punctured lung and ended up in a ‘life-threatening’ condition, but survived after getting medical help quickly, Ms Packham added.

Simmons, a retired burger van worker, was jailed for nine months.

His co-defendant, Adebayo, 23, of Colindale, London, was jailed for nine years for wounding with intent and two charges of possessing cocaine and heroin with intent to supply.

Judge Roger Hetherington told Hemmens: ‘You assisted an offender by driving him away from the scene when you knew he must have been involved in a serious assault, you saw blood on him and you undoubtedly knew that he had been involved in drug dealing.

‘But your involvement was considerably more than this one journey, you made several journeys on that day and on the night before, you would have been aware that you were being used as a driver whose age and appearance would have been unlikely to draw attention.’

Mark Kessler, defending, admitted it was a ‘strange’ for Hemmens with his background and age to be in court.

Saying the client’s isolation had led to his involvement, he added: “The defendant admits that he likes talking to people and that is why it has come about.’