First Dates star jailed for role in £1.5 million heroin ring

A man who appeared on First Dates in 2017 has been jailed for six-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to supplying heroin, and of conspiracy to supply cocaine and produce cannabis.

Joseph 'Joey' Shaw appeared on TV several years ago on the Channel 4 show First Dates, where he ended up recognising his date as a woman he'd met on the train down to London the day before filming his episode.

He ended up going on a date with Jodie, and during their dinner in the First Dates restaurant he joked that they'd been to Subway and she 'got a six inch', much to the despair of waitress Cici Coleman.

Introduced to Jodie on the sofas outside the restaurant, the pair explained to First Dates star Fred Sirieux that they already knew each other, with Joseph assuming she 'fancied me from the word go'.

He then disappeared off to the loo for the infamous 'toilet phonecall' part of the show to tell people he recognised his date.

Channel 4

At the end of the episode the wrap up suggested things had gone pretty well between the pair as it featured a video filmed by Joseph of the pair appearing to leave a hotel together the morning afterwards.

In the video, Shaw declared the 'second date went well, loved it', and it appeared to be one of those First Dates (although really the second one in this case) moments which actually worked.

However, a few years later things had gone very downhill for Joseph as he was arrested following a raid conducted by West Yorkshire Police into a property in Bradford.

In 2021, officers discovered an estimated £1.5 million worth of heroin inside the building, along with a stash of £100,000 in cash.

The 31kg of heroin stashed inside a pair of laundry bags hidden in the attic, while the stack of cash was padlocked inside a sports bag.

West Yorkshire Police

In May 2022, Shaw and his brother Daniel were put on trial at Bradford Crown Court.

Joey pleaded guilty to the charges of being concerned in the supply of heroin, and of conspiracy to supply cocaine and grow cannabis.

Daniel pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin, conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to produce cannabis.

The 28-year-old Joseph has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail, while his 24-year-old brother Daniel was handed a 10-and-a-half year sentence.

Another man, 42-year-old Mohammed Bashir, was charged with possession with intent to supply a Class A drug, along with possession of criminal property.

He was put on trial at Bradford Crown Court where he initially entered a not guilty plea, but midway through the trial switched to a guilty plea.

Bashir will receive his sentence at a later date.