Drugs boss is let out of jail to marry his sweetheart

Drugs boss is let out of jail to marry his sweetheart seven months into six-year sentence for trafficking £120,000 of cocaine after he claimed ‘right to marry’ under human rights laws

  • Drugs boss Benjamin Connor, 27, claimed he had ‘right to marry’ Adele Hunter
  • The move is understood to have left Justice Minister Robert Buckland ‘furious’
  • Connor admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply after being caught
  • He was sentenced to six years in prison following a trial in September 2020

A drugs boss was let out of jail to marry his sweetheart seven months into a six-year sentence for trafficking £120,000 of cocaine.

Benjamin Connor, 27, claimed he had a ‘right to marry’ Adele Hunter, 26, in Goole Register Office under human rights laws.

The governer of HMP Humber has been blasted for the move – which is said to have left Justice Minister Robert Buckland ‘absolutely furious’.

Connor rammed a police vehicle when it tried to stop him at a roundabout before driving the wrong way on a slip road heading towards the M1 in July in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

When police stopped him by crashing into his car, Connor was found to be carrying seven pounds of cocaine in a shoe box in his footwell.

Benjamin Connor, 27, claimed he had a ‘right to marry’ Adele Hunter, 26, (pictured on their wedding day) under human rights laws

Benjamin Connor, 27, (pictured) claimed he had a 'right to marry' Adele Hunter, 26, under human rights laws

Benjamin Connor, 27, (pictured) claimed he had a ‘right to marry’ Adele Hunter, 26, under human rights laws

More drugs and £3,500 in cash were found in his home.

He admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply and having criminal property – along with a driving charge – and was sentenced to six years in prison. 

But, on Tuesday, two prison officers drove Connor 30 miles from HMP Humber to Goole Register Office, The Sun reports.

Ms Hunter – now Mrs Connor – shared pictures of their wedding day online.

She posed in a white wedding dress while he donned a grey suit.

Connor’s two young children also attended the ceremony.

A top Conservative Party source said: ‘Mr Buckland is absolutely furious a governor thought this a sensible use of temporary release.

On Tuesday, two prison officers drove Connor 30 miles from HMP Humber to Goole Register Office for his wedding (pictured)

‘This rule is in place to visit dying relatives, not to go on a jolly. What next?’

They stressed that letting drug dealers out of prison to get married was not Government policy. 

Connor had previously served a three year and nine-month sentence for possessing cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply.

During his trial in 2020, Connor claimed he was moving the drugs – which he said did not belong to him – to settle a debt, The Yorkshire Evening Post reported.