Woman, 25, who hid £17k of cannabis under 'pressure' of ex avoids jail

Gangster’s moll, 25, who hid £17,000 worth of cannabis at her home avoids jail after her drug dealer ex-boyfriend ‘forced her to stash it there when she ran up a debt’

• Amy King, 25, was given a 12-month community order at Chester Crown Court
• Judge said she was under ‘pressure’ to keep drugs for drug dealer ex-boyfriend

A gangster’s moll from a devout Methodist family has walked free from court after claiming she was made to hide cannabis in her apartment on the orders of her drug dealer boyfriend.

Amy King, 25, was given a 12-month community order at Chester Crown Court after she was arrested when police raided her home in Chester, Cheshire, and recovered 1.6kg of cannabis worth £17,000.

But Judge Steven Everett accepted King was under ‘pressure and stress’ after she claimed she was forced to keep cannabis in her flat after she ran up a drugs debt with ex-boyfriend Alfie Chadwick.

Meanwhile, Chadwick, from Blacon, Chester was jailed for 11 years at an earlier hearing after he was convicted of drugs offences. His drug-dealing partner Jordan McLoughlin, 25, was also jailed for ten years.

King pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply and conspiracy to deal in cannabis but was spared a potential seven years in jail because of her ‘courage’ in making a statement to police about her ex.

Amy King (pictured), 25, was given a 12-month community order at Chester Crown Court today after she was arrested when police raided her home in Chester, Cheshire, and recovered 1.6kg of cannabis worth £17,000

Meanwhile, Chadwick (pictured), from Blacon, Chester was jailed for 11 years at an earlier hearing after he was convicted of drugs offences

Judge Steven Everett told King: ‘Goodness knows why you, a person who comes from a decent family with all these excellent possibilities in life, should get involved with people like Chadwick.

‘You allowed, under pressure and stress, for your home address to be used for keeping these drugs. A significant number of drugs undoubtedly passed through your house.

‘I’m quite prepared to accept that you had no idea what the amounts were. But you knew that this was not a few tablets. 

‘It was serious stuff. Some may say that what you should’ve done was go to the police but I do understand the difficulties of that. I am not blind to that.

‘In fairness to you, you provided a statement. That’s a very courageous thing to do. That would not be taken well by those involved in that.

‘But I cannot understand why somebody like you, bright, hard-working and intelligent, should ever get involved with those horrible people. Your time in custody was undoubtedly a real learning curve for you.

Miles Wilson, counsel for the prosecution, said: ‘The defendant was a custodian of the drugs that were being supplied as part of a conspiracy. She became involved through Chadwick one of the people who played a leading role.

‘This defendant owed Chadwick an amount of money for a cannabis debt. She had been in a brief relationship. She had been getting cannabis from him before and during the relationship.

Judge Steven Everett accepted King (centre) was under ‘pressure and stress’ after she claimed she was forced to keep cannabis in her flat after she ran up a drugs debt with ex-boyfriend Alfie Chadwick.

King pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply and conspiracy to deal in cannabis but was spared a potential seven years in jail because of her ‘courage’ in making a statement to police about her ex

‘Initially it was for free but then he started charging her and she ran up a debt. As the debt started to accrue Chadwick would attend her flat and would bring a box and told her to look after it for him. 

‘She did not see what was in the box, but assumed it was drugs. She was too scared to look inside.

‘He told her that she should pay the debt by looking after the box. He then paid her £100 a week. 

‘He had a key cut to her flat. She tried to fob him off, but he persisted. On a number of occasions he’d been waiting at the flat when she got home.

‘On other occasions he let himself in. When she asked what he was up to, he would tell her to mind her own business. 

‘When she told him, she wanted the box gone he reacted aggressively, knocking her to the floor and said: “The box is staying put.”

‘She felt she had no choice in the matter. The box was a Tupperware box which was hidden on the top of a wardrobe in the defendant’s bedroom. 

‘Chadwick brought McLoughlin to the flat and told the defendant that McLoughlin would now have access to the box as well. She was not in a position to refuse.

‘Both men attended her flat on numerous occasions. Police attended and the flat was searched. In the box was 1.6kg of the drug.’

The court heard King served 16 months on remand while awaiting trial. In mitigation her counsel William Staunton said: ‘She made a statement that may have caused rumblings in certain areas. She is a low risk of reoffending, in fact a low risk of anything.

‘Clearly it was not so much a relationship with Chadwick which had any great heart. She was to an extent being exploited. She is not work shy and her family is of Methodist stock. She is working every day.’

‘I’m quite satisfied that you are making real efforts to change, and that you are someone on the right road. In my judgment you have been punished enough. Hopefully, you will rid yourself of these other people.

‘I hope things go much better for you. You got yourself in that way, but you have done a lot to get out of that. You should be congratulated for that.’

The court heard King served 16 months on remand while awaiting trial

 

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