A former senior director at the Environment Agency has been handed a suspended prison sentence for buying and selling drugs used in chemsex encounters with men he met on the gay dating app Grindr.
Court Hears Details of Drug Operation
Mark Sitton Kent, a 57-year-old divorced father-of-two, engaged in the dangerous sexual practice known as chemsex over a four-year period, Nottingham Crown Court heard. Evidence presented to the court revealed that Sitton Kent 'offered to administer controlled drugs to others and asked others to inject him'.
Phone evidence showed the former Director of Operations purchased two illegal substances - methamphetamine and GHB - in what prosecutors described as 'wholesale amounts' before selling them to people he connected with on the app.
Judge's Stern Warning on Chemsex Dangers
Sentencing the defendant, Judge James Sampson delivered a powerful message about the risks associated with these substances. 'For some years, you have been involved in something known as Chemsex and you offered to supply drugs for these purposes to others and engaged in the activity,' Judge Sampson stated.
'Be under no illusions, these drugs kill. They have been implicated in the deaths of gay men up and down the country. They are dangerous, and by peddling these dangerous substances for your own gratification, you have risked the lives of others.'
From Respected Career to Criminal Conviction
Sitton Kent previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the sale of methamphetamine and GHB between 2019 and 2023. The court heard that he came out as gay in his 50s after being married and subsequently retired from his 'well-paid and well-respected' role at the Environment Agency following rumours circulating about him.
Prosecutor Devni Kitulagoda revealed that officers arrested Sitton Kent at an address in Newark on October 12, 2023, where they found a capsule of methamphetamine inside a brown bag.
Messages on his mobile phone indicated he was purchasing larger wholesale amounts of drugs associated with chemsex, including specific intentions to buy 50g of Methamphetamine and about 1 litre of GHB, which would have been enough to make 400 to 1000 doses.
Despite the seriousness of the offences, Judge Sampson spared Sitton Kent an immediate prison term, handing him a two-year jail sentence suspended for 21 months.
