Steve Jones<\/span>BBC News, Yorkshire<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n A world champion boxing trainer and manager has been jailed for 10 years for his part in a conspiracy to supply cocaine.<\/p>\n Andrew Bulcroft, known as Stefy Bull, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court earlier after being found guilty following a trial in February.<\/p>\n Co-defendant Benjamin Williams was also jailed for 10 years for the same offence, but given a 15% reduction on his sentence due to his guilty plea before trial.<\/p>\n Judge Peter Hampton said both men had been “motivated by financial greed”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A former professional boxer turned trainer, manager and promoter, Bull’s stable had included champions at British, European and world level.<\/p>\n He helped guide the career of three-weight female world champion Terri Harper, as well as several other Doncaster-based fighters, who have competed at international level.<\/p>\n They include Jamie McDonnell, Maxi Hughes and Jason Cunningham.<\/p>\n Bulcroft, of Crane Moore Close in Harlington, denied the charge against him but a jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict after the four-day trial.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Judge Hampton said Bulcroft had since admitted his guilt and spoken of his “remorse”.<\/p>\n He told him: “The reality is you chanced your arm at trial, just as you chanced your arm at offending.”<\/p>\n Judge Hampton said Bulcroft had “often played for high stakes” in his boxing career and had done the same in the drugs world.<\/p>\n He said he accepted the 48-year-old had “changed lives in a positive way” through boxing – <\/b>and revealed he had been “making constructive use” of his time on remand – <\/b>but told Bulcroft he had otherwise “utterly betrayed” his previous good work.<\/p>\n “You seek to blame your offending upon your financial circumstances at the time of the coronavirus lockdown period. I’m afraid, in my judgement, that’s scant mitigation.<\/p>\n “You and Mr Williams only have yourselves to blame.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The court heard Bulcroft and Williams, 42, used the Encrochat encrypted phone network buy the drugs.<\/p>\n Judge Hampton said the pair were the “middle men” and purchased the drugs wholesale from Christopher and Jonathan McAllister – who were jailed in 2022 for importing Class A drugs – before supplying them to be sold in South Yorkshire.<\/p>\n Bulcroft was said to have used Encrochat, <\/b>an encrypted phone network, <\/b>to communicate with an individual from Spain yet to be identified, who had advised him of the process of buying kilos of cocaine priced between \u00a334,000 and \u00a337,000.<\/p>\n Judge Hampton said he had “retailed” about 5kg of the drug, “no doubt to significant financial profit”.<\/p>\n Williams sold between two and three kilos of cocaine, the judge added. <\/p>\n Officers found \u00a384,000 in cash stashed inside a safe in a fortified outbuilding when they arrested Williams, 43, at his house on Church Street in Mexborough in June 2020, as well as \u00a39,500 of cocaine and \u00a3105 of cannabis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Both men initially denied any wrongdoing during police interviews.<\/p>\n Judge Hampton said the pair thought they were “untouchable” through their use of Encrochat, adding: “The fact you are here now for your sentence shows that you got that very badly wrong”.<\/p>\n Williams was also sentenced to five years and five months in prison for possessing cocaine with intent to supply.<\/p>\n He was given a sentence of two years and six months for possessing cannabis with intent to supply and a further sentence of two years and one month for possessing criminal property.<\/p>\n All of the sentences will be served concurrently.<\/p>\n Both men, who appeared in court via video link from HMP Doncaster, were told they would serve up to 40% of their sentences in jail.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"BBC](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/d675\/live\/31883b30-8a4a-11f0-94f4-77b666520245.jpg.webp\")
BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n‘Scant mitigation’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20250828-055926-c20c0c03f5-2.28.1-2\/grey-placeholder.png\")
![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/ddb2\/live\/456bd7a0-8a69-11f0-8ba8-9d1af6a803b3.jpg.webp\")
Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"South](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/72b7\/live\/5601b100-8a7a-11f0-84c8-99de564f0440.jpg.webp\")
South Yorkshire Police<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n