Boxing coach guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine

A world champion boxing trainer and manager has been found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine, the BBC can reveal.

Andrew Bulcroft, better known in the boxing world as Stefy Bull, has been remanded in custody since 28 February, when he was convicted by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court.

The 48-year-old, from Doncaster, will be sentenced along with his co-defendant Benjamin Williams at the same court on 26 August.

Bulcroft's trial heard how he used the Encrochat encrypted phone network to buy "significant amounts" of cocaine under the pseudonym "Yummycub".

A former professional boxer turned trainer, manager and promoter, Bull's stable has included champions at British, European and world level.

He is perhaps best known for guiding the career of three-weight world champion Terri Harper, as well as several other Doncaster-based fighters who have competed at international level.

They include Jamie McDonnell, Maxi Hughes and Jason Cunningham.

Bulcroft, of Crane Moore Close in Harlington, denied the charge against him but a jury delivered a unanimously guilty verdict after a four-day trial.

He was due to be sentenced last month, but the case was pushed back to August due to the availability of his legal team.

In court documents seen by the BBC, prosecutor Sam Ponniah told jurors police found messages between the defendant and Christopher and Jonathan McAllister - who were jailed in 2022 for importing Class A drugs - after authorities infiltrated Encrochat servers in 2019.

The messages were exchanged between March and May of 2020 and revealed Bulcroft to be part of a conspiracy to supply cocaine, he said.

"There are conversations where Yummycub speaks to the McAllisters, or an associate of them, and is enquiring about buying kilos of cocaine at around £38,000 a go," Mr Poniah told the court.

"Naturally the police wanted to work out who Yummycub was because clearly they were involved in buying significant amounts of drugs directly from importers."

Bulcroft, who once shared the ring with Amir Khan, was also referred to as 'The Boxer' by the McAllisters, the court heard.

He asked one of them to meet him at "the gym" which shared the same postcode as his former boxing gym in Denaby Main, as well as "my house", a location which matched his then home address.

He also replied "Thank You" to a happy birthday message on 10 May 2020 - the date of his birthday - which Mr Poniah said made it "crystal clear" he was Yummycub.

The court heard Bulcroft denied he was Yummycub and told police he did not own an encrypted device.

He said boxers he trained would sometimes stay at his house and it must have been one of them who was Yummycub, but did not name anyone he suspected it might have been.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing from any of the fighters associated with Bull.

Williams, 43, of Church Street in Mexborough, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to supply cocaine, possessing cocaine with intent to supply, possessing cannabis with intent to supply and possessing criminal property.

He has been released on conditional bail ahead of sentencing.

The court heard how he and Bulcroft had been good friends for several years and had agreed "to get involved together in the sale of cocaine".

Mr Poniah said police found "a lot of cocaine" at Williams' house, as well as his fingerprints on money held by the McAllisters.

Williams had used the pseudonym "Oiled.Rhino" on Encrochat, the court was told.

According to the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, the sentencing range for conspiracy to supply a Class A drug ranges from a high-level community order to 16 years imprisonment.

A spokesperson for the British Boxing Board of Control Central Area Council said Bulcroft's licenses as a trainer, manager and promoter would be reviewed following his sentencing.

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