Slough drug dealer jailed after bribing witnesses to help son get away with stabbing

A Slough drug dealer who attempted to pay off key witnesses to help his son evade justice for stabbing another man has been jailed.

Lee Brooks, 56, of Mendip Close, Slough, was sentenced to 15-and-a-half years in prison at Reading Crown Court on Thursday (March 20) following two Thames Valley Police investigations.

Brooks tried to help his son get away with stabbing a stranger in July 2021, by convincing vulnerable drug users who witnessed the assault to change their police statements in exchange for drugs.

Lee Brooks’ son, Hayden Brooks, 24, of Wavell Gardens, Slough, was handed a 15-year prison sentence last month for stabbing a stranger during a dispute at a barbecue and dealing Class A drugs.

The victim, a man in his forties, was airlifted to hospital with a collapsed left lung and a fractured rib.

He was discharged after being in intensive care but still suffers psychologically and can no longer work as a landscape gardener.

Lee Brooks tried to help his son evade justice by asking his friends to find someone with no previous convictions to provide a false statement to the police.

Brooks convinced drug user Lloyd Greenfield, to claim to be at the scene during the stabbing by paying him with drugs and sending him a picture to know what the victim looked like.

Pictured: Photos of cannabis found on Lee Brooks’ mobile phone. Credit: Thames Valley Police.

Brooks also offered to pay the stabbing victim £80,000 to pick the wrong person at a VIPER (Video Identification Parade Electronic Recording) parade, but he refused.

A perverting the course of justice investigation was launched, and the trial was postponed.

Witnesses Deborah Andrews, Iqrar Iqbal and Lloyd Greenfield, who changed their statements, were charged with perverting the course of justice on August 17, 2023.

Thames Valley Police Drugs and Serious Organised Crime (DSOC) Unit launched an investigation into Brooks and his involvement in drug dealing in Slough in September 2023.

Several mobile phones were seized during the investigation, which were attributed to Brooks and contained images of cannabis and a cocaine press, as well as weapons.

Detectives identified Brooks as being the holder of an Encrochat phone used to facilitate drug deals and contained images of cocaine.

Pictured: Photos of cocaine found on Lee Brooks’ mobile phone. Credit: Thames Valley Police.

DSOC Unit officers executed several warrants for Brooks’ offending, arrested him in July last year and charged him on July 18.

Brooks pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply controlled class A drugs, namely cocaine and heroin, and one count each of conspiracy to supply a controlled class B drug, namely cannabis, conveying drugs into a prison, and perverting the course of justice at previous Reading Crown Court hearings.

Detective Constable Wayne Plowright, of the DSOC Unit, who led the drug dealing investigation said: “I am very pleased with the sentences handed to Lee Brooks.

“This was a complex investigation which involved the attribution of an Encrochat handle to Brooks and proving his involvement in the drugs offences.

“While no drugs were recovered; the evidence presented showed overwhelming proof of Brooks involvement in multi kilo drug supply and due to this, he pleaded guilty on the first day of what would have been his trial.

“I hope this sends a strong message to others involved in the supply of drugs that even without actually being in possession of drugs, if you are involved in any capacity, we will bring you to justice.”

Pictured: Photos of cannabis found on Lee Brooks’ mobile phone. Credit: Thames Valley Police.

Witnesses Deborah Andrews pleaded guilty on 24 October 2023, Iqrar Iqbal pleaded guilty on February 6 2024 and Lloyd Greenfield pleaded guilty on November 12 2024 at Reading Crown Court.

• Andrews, 48, of Maplin Park, Slough, was given an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to complete a drug rehabilitation programme and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days on August 2, last year.
• Iqbal, 39, of Stoke Poges Lane, Slough, was sentenced to a year and 10 months in prison at Reading Crown Court on April 5 2024.
• Greenfield, 48, of Surly Hall Walk, Windsor was sentenced to a year-and-a-half in prison, suspended for the same length of time, and ordered to complete a year-long drug rehabilitation programme and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days on February 10.

Detective Constable Patrycja Lesiakowska, who led the perverting justice investigation, said “This case highlights the lengths individuals will go in order to obstruct justice.

“Lee Brooks not only provided a false statement to the police in an attempt to create a fake alibi for his son, but he also actively tried to recruit people with no criminal history to lie in court.

“Brooks’ manipulation extended to paying off key witnesses and supplying them with fabricated statements, all in an effort to deceive the justice system.

“Thankfully, we were able to expose his web of lies and ensure that those responsible were held accountable.

“Perverting the course of justice is a serious offence, and we will always take action against anyone who tries to mislead the police or interfere with due process.”