Drug dealer goaded police ‘catch me if you can, mush’ before being caught dealing heroin and crack cocaine

Lee Coleman was first spotted by police officers in Scarborough Town Centre in August 2022.

On that day, Coleman, 32, filmed the officers on his mobile phone and arrogantly suggested he would not be caught.

He told officers: “You’ll need some good luck you know, boys. Next time get a picture with me.

“Catch me if you can, mush”

Days later, on Saturday, August 6, Coleman was spotted by patrol officers on Johno’s Field.

Coleman, of no fixed address, was riding a small girl’s bike and meeting a known drug user.

He headed off the field to the user’s home and left the property a short time later.

When officers attempted to stop him on his bike, he tried to evade them in a narrow alleyway.

However, the detectives were able to grab him off the bike and arrested him.

Coleman was searched and he was found with 104 wraps of crack cocaine and 31 wraps of heroin hidden in his underwear.

Coleman sentenced to three years and nine months at York Crown Court on Thursday, January 26 of this year.

Officer in the case, DC Darrel Temple of Operation Expedite, said: “Coleman goaded us to catch him if we could and we did just that. The next picture he had taken was in Scarborough Custody.

“Class A drugs and Class A drug dealers are a scourge on Scarborough, and we will continue to take them off the streets at every opportunity.

“Individuals like Coleman bring misery to the community and he is now rightly serving a significant prison sentence for his actions.

“We continue to encourage the local community to report suspected drug dealing activity as we will act and target individuals who inflict the misery of class A drugs and fuel addiction on the people of Scarborough.

“It's an ongoing battle and drug dealers working within the town and those travelling in need to know that, eventually, we will catch up with them and they will face justice.”