Machete-waving drug dealer jailed for manslaughter

A machete-wielding man has been jailed after a person he chased was fatally hit by a car.

Chris Maclean admitted to the manslaughter of Jay Gerrett in a drug deal gone wrong in Sittingbourne, Kent, in August last year.

Maclean, 43, also admitted possession of a knife and supplying cocaine.

At Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Maclean had been due to stand trial for Gerrett's murder, but the Crown Prosecution Service accepted a prior plea of manslaughter.

The incident happened in St Michael's Road in Sittingbourne at about 21:30 BST on 2 August 2025, when Maclean's co-defendant, Jack Hunt, tried to sell drugs to Gerrett.

When the exchange became heated, Hunt called for support from Maclean and another man, who emerged from their homes on Pembury Court and joined the altercation, police said.

Maclean goaded the victim into fighting before brandishing a large knife, swinging it at his body and face.

While attempting to flee, Gerrett, who was in his 30s, fell down a grass verge into oncoming traffic and was fatally hit by a car.

Maclean was later arrested in Canterbury, whereupon a quantity of Class A drugs was discovered on his person.

Earlier this week, Hunt and a third defendant in the case, Daniel Martin, were formally acquitted of the charge of murder after the prosecution offered no evidence against them.

However, Hunt, 33, from Borden, admitted to supplying cocaine to Gerrett. He will be sentenced on 1 May.

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