Appeal judges have added three years to the jail term of a Middlesbrough drug dealer who terrorised people around him. On 9 December 2025, the Court of Appeal increased 30‑year‑old Dale Hamilton’s sentence to 13 years after the case was referred under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, the Attorney General’s Office confirmed.

Hamilton was originally jailed for 10 years at Teesside Crown Court on 11 August 2025 after being convicted of two robberies, kidnapping, blackmail and supplying Class A drugs. Judges ruled the original term was unduly lenient and raised it, bringing a measure of closure for victims who had faced months of intimidation.

The court heard that in 2024 Hamilton ran a drugs line supplying cocaine in the town. After learning a neighbour was a former police officer in recovery, he pushed cocaine through the man’s letterbox to try to trigger a relapse and drum up further orders.

Following an unrelated police visit to the neighbour, £500 worth of cocaine was destroyed. Hamilton responded by confronting him with a so‑called ‘zombie knife’ and demanding money. He then obtained a key, began using the social housing flat as his own, and threatened to kill the victim, who eventually fled to emergency accommodation.

A second victim-his driver-was also targeted. While on bail for robbery, Hamilton accused him of stealing, extorted £160 and then demanded another £200, threatening violence and to shoot the man’s children if he did not pay.

In a statement to the court, the neighbour described feeling vulnerable, anxious and living in fear-words that will resonate with tenants across Teesside who recognise the pressure drug lines place on their streets and blocks.

Solicitor General Ellie Reeves MP, speaking in a GOV.UK statement, said Hamilton was “a dangerous and violent man” and welcomed the decision to increase his sentence, “keeping this dangerous man off our streets”. She praised the victims for their bravery in coming forward.

The Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme allows law officers to ask the Court of Appeal to review sentences for serious crimes. In Hamilton’s case, the court increased the total term to 13 years-an outcome that will be noted by communities here who expect firm action when violence and intimidation spill into their neighbourhoods.

For residents in Middlesbrough, the message is plain: exploiting vulnerable neighbours and threatening families will bring decisive consequences. Support is available locally for anyone feeling unsafe, and this ruling shows the courts will back victims who speak up.