A gang member who was stabbed by a rival drug dealer in Dover has been jailed.

Imara Gillings suffered serious wounds to his chest when he was attacked at a property in Balfour Road and was flown to a London hospital for life-saving treatment.

But when the 21-year-old was discharged, detectives charged him with possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply, an offence which he later admitted.

He was also found to be assisting in the cuckooing of an address in Balfour Road, a process where criminal networks exploit vulnerable people by using their home as a base for dealing drugs.

The drugs dispute turned violent in October 2020 when county lines dealer Callum Andrews attacked Gillings, who he suspected of working for a rival gang.

An investigation by Kent Police found Andrews had travelled from London and visited the Dover property before leaving in the early hours and staying in a hotel.

He returned to the house at 9.15am and had a chance meeting with Gillings.

Andrews pulled a large knife from his waistband and stabbed his rival in the chest, shoulder and hands.

He then ran from the scene and got a taxi to Ashford. From there he took a train to Ebbsfleet and was driven from Kent by an associate.

Andrews, of no fixed address, has since been jailed for 20 years after being found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm and other offences elsewhere in the country.

After the attack, Gillings walked to nearby Beaconsfield Road, where he collapsed from his injuries, and emergency services attended.

He was found to have disregarded a bag containing crack cocaine and heroin, which had a combined street value of around £2,000.

"You could become yet another victim of the serious violence which all too often goes hand in hand in county lines activity..."

Gillings, of Crystal Palace in south London, was jailed for three years and 10 months at Canterbury Crown Court on January 19.

Detective Sergeant Richard Allingham, of the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate, said: "I hope this case sends out two messages to anyone thinking of dealing drugs.

"The first is that you could become yet another victim of the serious violence which all too often goes hand in hand in county lines activity.

"The second is that you will also end up in prison, with jail terms reflecting the impact these groups have on our communities."