A drug dealer forced two men into his car before violently assaulting them and threatening them with a firearm over debts.

Tyson Gordon was wearing a balaclava and brandishing a hammer, when he smashed his way into a flat in Athelstan Road, Margate, where one of his victims was staying.

He instructed the man to leave, pushing him out of the property and into his car.

Inside the BMW was another man who had also been forced out of a property in Adelaide Gardens, Ramsgate, beaten with a hammer and struck with the butt of a gun.

Gordon, 27 and of no fixed address, claimed both men owed him money from drug debts.

After a short journey he parked close to a clifftop area in Cliftonville where the victim from Margate was made to get out of the car, before being struck repeatedly to the legs and back with a hammer.

Gordon then produced what appeared to be a firearm and forced the barrel into the man's mouth, demanding repayment of the debt before driving away and leaving him to walk home.

The incident took place on November 8, 2015, and the following day police identified Gordon's car in Station Road, Margate, and he was arrested.

"He is clearly an extremely dangerous individual and one who is now rightly serving a significant prison sentence" - DI James Derham

A room he had rented in the Buenos Ayres area of Margate was searched and officers discovered items including a BB air weapon, balaclava and ammunition inside. Quantities of cannabis and crack cocaine were also seized.

At Canterbury Crown Court on April 3, 2017, Gordon pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, possession of a firearm, and a charge of false imprisonment.

He also admitted possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply, and possessing cannabis.

Today, Gordon was sentenced to nine years in jail.

Detective Inspector James Derham of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: "Gordon had moved to Thanet from London with the intention of setting up a drugs supply chain, targeting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

"To make this criminal enterprise succeed he set about installing fear and terror among those who grew dependent on him for drugs. As well as the appalling violence Gordon displayed on the day in question, he also threatened to kill one of the victim's girlfriends and their pet dog.

"He is clearly an extremely dangerous individual and one who is now rightly serving a significant prison sentence."