Fugitive 'playboy' who sparked fears of fresh Salisbury novichok attack jailed for drug dealing

Alex King's wife claimed they had been victims of a Russian plot, months after the attack on Sergei Skripal

A “playboy” drug dealer who sparked a fresh novichok scare after collapsing in a Salisbury restaurant has been jailed, while still on the run.

Alex King disappeared in December and did not attend his trial for a series of offences at Southwark Crown Court.

The 42-year-old was jailed for 11 years in his absence, after Southwark Crown Court heard evidence that he sold drugs and arranged high-class escorts for money.

King sparked a major incident in September, when he fell ill while dining at a branch of the Prezzo Italian chain in Salisbury with his wife.

Anna Shapiro, a Russian-born model, told The Sun she was a victim of a Kremlin plot, claiming: “Vladimir Putin wants me dead.”

She claimed she found her husband “foaming at the mouth” in the toilet, before falling ill herself.

Because of the similarity between King’s symptoms and nerve agent poisoning, just months after Dawn Sturgess died of accidental exposure to novichok, specialist teams treated the pair and shut down the restaurant.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter had collapsed after eating at a nearby Zizzi restaurant in the first attack in March.

Authorities swiftly ruled out novichok, but said a “highly precautionary approach” was taken by emergency services who treated the couple wearing protective suits.

Ms Shapiro’s solicitors later denied accusations of a hoax and said her “fears were genuine”.

Weeks before the incident, the couple had to be rescued by the RNLI off the coast of Wales after their boat ran out of fuel.

No hint was given over King’s whereabouts as he was sentenced for two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, one of conspiracy to supply class B drugs and one of conspiracy to supply class C drugs on Friday.

Southwark Crown Court heard he was last seen leaving a flat with his wife near Harley Street, in central London, on 17 December.

“They were seen by his landlord, the pair of them, loading up the car with their property, both healthy, leaving an address he was living at in breach of his bail conditions, and they have not been seen since,” said Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith.

He started proceedings to confiscate cash and assets gained through drug dealing, warning King’s absence from court would not work in his favour.

King’s barrister, Leon Kazakos, said he has not had any contact with his client, who had been living a “flashy lifestyle, which has been hired rather than purchased”.

He was originally arrested in June 2016, when police found him in bed with Ms Shapiro in a rented Marylebone flat.

Officers found a block of 90 per cent cocaine, MDMA powder, ecstasy pills bearing the Just Eat logo, crack cocaine, ketamine and diazepam, with a street value of around £60,000 in a safe.

‘Playboy’ drug dealer Alex King was sentenced to 11 years in prison while still on the run (PA)

But the court heard King then feigned injury and illness to avoid trial, until the Salisbury incident offered a fresh chance to pin him down.

King’s associate, Baljit Gill, who lived with his parents in Welling, southeast London, was jailed for nine years after being found guilty of conspiring to sell class A drugs after a separate trial.

Sebastian Gardiner, defending Gill, described King as a “very bizarre” character who lived a “glamorous, albeit seedy, existence”, making money from arranging parties, selling drugs and supplying high-class escorts to his VIP clients.

“Mr King was a socialite who met with the rich and famous – he craved that sort of involvement and attention,” he said.

“He was always keen to have a photo of him taken with anybody deemed to be a celebrity.”

Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Baljit Gill (left) and Alex King. (PA)

King had taken photographs and videos of drugs and himself with his merchandise, which were found on his mobile phone, while Gill had recorded himself arranging a drug deal.

King is friends with “fast Eddie” Davenport, the infamous high society party planner and convicted fraudster who reportedly organised a New Year’s Eve event where a bouncer was stabbed to death.

King was named as Mr Davenport’s press representative in a 2008 Independent interview conducted at his West End mansion.

King and Ms Shapiro are listed as directors of a company called Gem Locations UK Limited, which offers “motion picture production activities” and real estate management, with a registered address at 32 Portland Place.

Wiltshire Police continues to investigate the incident at Prezzo, while Scotland Yard are appealing for help to trace King.

Detective Constable Dharmesh Bakrania said: “King has repeatedly delayed and frustrated attempts to bring him to justice.

“I would urge anyone that knows of his whereabouts to contact police immediately.”

Additional reporting by PA