Manchester man who starred in Channel 4 show caught red-handed 280 miles from home
Demornia Cantrill admitted dealing drugs hundreds of miles from his Manchester home
A former mixed martial arts fighter who starred in a Channel 4 documentary about care leavers was caught dealing heroin 280 miles from home.
Demornia Cantrill, from Manchester, had told the programme he wanted to 'prove people wrong' following his tough start in life.
But the 28-year-old has now been jailed after being caught with heroin stashed in a Pringles tube.
Cantrill was spotted acting suspiciously by officers in Plymouth, Devon, a court heard today (June 10).
Police believed they saw Cantrill making an exchange of illicit goods near to Beaumont Park in the city on May 8, Plymouth Live reports.
Cantrill ran from the scene and was seen to throw an item which was collected by officers, who discovered it was a Kinder egg containing wraps of heroin.
Police then detained Cantrill on nearby Beaumont Road before searching a property that was linked to him.
At the property, officers discovered around 200 wraps of heroin in a modified small Pringles crisp tube.
Cantrill appeared via video link from prison at Plymouth Crown Court this morning, where he admitted possession of cannabis and possession of heroin with intent to supply.
During the hearing, Judge Robert Linford questioned whether he was the mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who had appeared on a TV documentary a number of years ago.
Cantrill confirmed he was the same man, before going on to explain that he was a member of a boxing group in Manchester, called 'King of the Ring'.
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News reports in 2021 noted that the former MMA fighter featured in a 2015 Channel 4 documentary about his life in foster care, called Kicked Out Kids.
He had been placed in foster after his mother was unable to care for him, and there were issues with neglect in the household.
Cantrill told the show: "I want to prove to everybody who says I'm just going to be a drug dealer or in prison - I want to prove them wrong and show that just 'cause I had a s*** upbringing doesn't mean I can't change it."
After leaving care, he trained in MMA and joined the army for a couple of years and also worked as a teaching assistant in a primary school and with children with special needs.
His defence barrister requested a pre-sentence report be undertaken with the probation service ahead of a sentencing hearing on July 4.
Cantrill, of Freetown Close, Manchester, was remanded into custody until that date.
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