Hefty court fine for Barrow drug dealer
Last updated at 10:43, Monday, 18 March 2013
A BARROW woman faces jail if she doesn’t pay a hefty court bill.
By Gareth Jones
Carol Whittam appeared in Barrow Crown Court on Friday where she was ordered to repay £8,000 or face time in jail.
The 52-year-old, of Bridgegate Avenue, was found to have benefited from her criminality to the tune of £8,000.
The judge ordered Whittam repay the amount within 6 months or she would find herself going to prison for three months.
The defendant was handed a suspended jail sentence back in September 2012 for possessing drugs with intent to supply.
On June 17 2011, police officers searched the home address of Whittam and during the search they recovered a quantity of cannabis bush and cannabis resin.
The drug was located in various places throughout the house, including the kitchen cupboard,
the under-stairs cupboard, under the settee, in a peg bag and the defendant’s handbag. The drugs varied from small bags of resin to a container containing a large amount of individually bagged cannabis bush. A large quantity of cash was also located in a safe in the airing cupboard.
During the criminal investigation, a POCA investigation was carried out by officers from Cumbria Constabulary.
Detective Constable Nick Doherty, a financial investigator for Cumbria Constabulary, said: “Whittam was supplying drugs to local users and was subjecting the local community to the sickening effects of this illicit trade while she made a very modest illegal additional income from her criminal activities.
“This investigation involved a number of partner law enforcement organisations with whom the police deal with on a regular basis. When criminals are sentenced at court they continue to be investigated under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
“This process enables the police to locate and trace assets which they have acquired from their crimes through the POCA in order give it back to their victims or the community they’ve affected.
“Whittam will now been stripped of an amount of cash that to her and her lifestyle will equate to a substantial amount. As with all POCA cases if the amount is not paid she have to will have to spend a three months of her life in prison.
“It’s very simple, crime doesn’t pay and police will continue to ensure that criminals are targeted and any financial gain they make as a result of their crimes is seized.”
First published at 10:41, Monday, 18 March 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
I am disgusted at this story. Bridgegate has always been a really nice estate and a good place to live.
We had a burglar and shop lifter supreme in Bridgegate many years ago but the family were well known for being odd but that was all.
The idea that some drug dealing scum has been operating in Bridgegate is very depressing.
View all 4 comments on this article
Have your say
This is the kind of person that society really do not need. This person and others like her are living on peoples misery. Drugs were all over the house, if she is a council tenant she should be kicked out for breaching her tenancy and the house be given to a law abiding member of the community who does not sell drugs and corrupt the local community. If I lived near to this person I would not be happy one bit, poor Bridgegate residents. Like the others I think she should have gone to jail and why give 6 months to pay back the money, would her drug suppliers allow this ammount of time to pay them, I very much doubt it.
Posted by Sick of it on 21 March 2013 at 16:45