The saying goes that crime doesn’t pay and this is the case for many criminals in Wales who have had millions of pounds seized this year. The Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) enables the courts to recuperate money made by criminals during the course of their offending.
This year the courts have seen organised crime gangs, drug dealers, rogue builders, fraudsters, loan sharks, drone fliers and the owner of a skip firm who took crash bribes face such hearings. Many of these criminals were ordered to pay back hundreds and thousands of pounds. Some, however, were told to pay back substantially less.
Here is a roundup of court cases from 2024 which have involved the execution of POCA confiscation orders.
Joshua Billingham, Amir Khan, Caitlin De Jager, Darryl Skym, Sidra Khan, Matthew Dean, Joshua Collins, Leon Sullivan, Callum Richards, Sami Rehman and Stacey Challenger
One of the heads of an organised crime group which made millions of pounds trafficking cocaine and then laundered the profits through cryptocurrency was ordered to pay back just £1. Joshua Billingham benefitted from his criminality to the tune of more than £2.8m but had no assets that financial investigators could find, a court was told.
Billingham, from Caerphilly, ran the gang with Cardiff man Amir Khan who benefitted to the tune of more than £6.8m from his part in the drug dealing operation – in his case investigators identified available assets of £151,799 which could be seized. A judge made Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation orders in the sums of £1 and £151,799 in respect of the two men who are currently serving lengthy prison sentences.
During the course of its operation the gang sourced 40kg of cocaine and used stash houses and industrial units to store and mix the drug which they then distributed across south and west Wales using a network of dealers. The leaders of the organised crime group, or OCG, used secure Encrochat phones to communicate, and the street value of the coke peddled by the group was put at more than £4.5m. You can read about how law enforcement agencies hacked the Encrochat network here. The gang laundered their profits through a series of cryptocurrency accounts. Some of this laundering was organised by the pair while they were in prison for other offences.
The operation was disrupted in 2020 when Gwent Police raided a flat in Caerphilly and found half a kilo of cocaine, six kilos of cutting agent, and other paraphernalia including two hydraulic presses used in the package of the Class A drug. The home of Khan and his partner, Caitlin De Jager, in Cardiff was subsequently searched by police and officers found designer goods worth more than £100,000 including a pair of trainers belonging to Khan worth £10,000 alone. De Jager was in South Africa at the time of the raid but was able to empty an account containing US$42,948 “under the noses of police”.
Further arrests were subsequently made as other members of the gang were identified and located. Eventually a total of 12 defendants were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on July 28 last year for their involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering. Following the sentencing, the proceeds of crime investigation was launched to identify any ill-gotten gains that could be recovered. Eleven months after they were jailed, four members of the group returned to the dock for a judge to make confiscation orders.
Billingham, who is serving a 14 year and eight month sentence, was told he had 28 days to pay the £1 or face an extra week in prison. Amir Khan, who is serving a 20-year and seven month sentence, was given three months to pay £151,799 or face three-and-a-half years in prison in default.
De Jager, who is serving a four year and four month sentence, was said to have benefitted to the tune of £299,153.09 and had £9,438.44 in assets. She was given three months to pay or face five months in prison. Fellow gang member Darryl Skym, from Caerphilly, who is serving 10 years custody, benefitted in the sum of £2,758,296.89 but like Billingham was said to have no assets and a £1 nominal order was made in his case. Like Billingham he was given 28 days to pay up or face an extra seven days behind bars.
Sidra Khan benefited to the tune of £3,500,148 from her actions. The court heard she only had assets worth £27,973 and was ordered to pay that sum. Matthew Dean was found to have benefited to the tune of £2,770,439, but had no available assets. He was ordered to pay a nominal sum of £1. Joshua Collins was found to have benefited to the tune of £2,674,447, but had no available assets. He was ordered to pay a nominal sum of £1.
Leon Sullivan was found to have benefited to the tune of £2,660,794, but also had no available assets. He too was ordered to pay a nominal sum of £1. Callum Richards was found to have benefited to the tune of £2,659,611, but only had assets worth £320. He was ordered to pay that sum. Sami Rehman benefited to the tune of £317,532 as a result of his offending, but only had assets worth £62,788. Stacey Challenger was said to have benefited by £234,619 but only had assets worth £5,215. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
Corey Fenton
Corey Fenton, 22, was arrested by plain-clothed police in Cardiff on September 13 last year. Officers from the organised crime team saw the defendant taking part in several exchanges while riding an E-bike around Heol Trelai in Ely.
He was detained and found with a number of wraps of heroin and crack cocaine. Fenton, of Heol Carnau, Caerau, answered “no comment” to all questions but later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, possession of criminal property, and possession of a bladed article. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Fenton benefited to the tune of £13,375 but only had assets worth £11,375. Judge Paul Hobson ordered the defendant to pay that sum within three months or serve an additional six months imprisonment.
Corey Fenton, 22, was found in possession of heroin, crack cocaine, a machete and £1,000 in cash when he was arrested by police
(Image: South Wales Police)
Jordan Klein Jones
Window fitter Jordan Klein Jones, who defrauded 22 customers with false promises and shoddy work, was ordered to pay back just £10, despite benefiting by £240,000. Jordan Klein Jones had “no respect” for his victims’ property and on one occasion showed “no remorse” after smashing the frame for a photo of one customer’s late 11-year-old grandson.
Jones’ company, KJ Windows, which was based in North Cornelly in Bridgend county and then Pontcanna in Cardiff, supplied and fitted UPVC products. In 2021 regulatory officers received complaints from 22 customers. Most had been cold-called at their door by a representative of KJ Windows and in some cases the company had taken money for works then never returned. In other cases the work was “very poor and even dangerous”.
He was sentenced to 32 months in prison and given a 10-year criminal behaviour order banning him from running any kind of home improvements company.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Jones had benefited to the tune of £240,543 as a result of his offending, but had no available assets. Judge Lucy Crowther ordered Jones to pay a nominal sum of £10 within three months, or serve an additional one day in prison in default.
Jason Hearn
Jason Hearn who blew his elderly aunt’s life savings on sex chat websites was ordered to pay back £3,000 after benefiting by £70,000. His aunt’s place at a residential care home was put at risk due to the theft.
Hearn, 50, of Hendy, Carmarthenshire, and his mother Susan Hearn, 75, became powers of attorney for Jenny Krywokulskyj, who was aged 92 when she died in 2019. She was Susan’s Hearn’s aunt and Jason Hearn’s great-aunt. Mrs Krywokulskyj lived in the Port Tennant area of Swansea and had two children who died in infancy and following the death of her husband she had little contact with her remaining family except for her niece Susan Morgan and the two defendants.
Between 2016 and 2019 Jason Hearn had spent more than £31,000 from the victim’s bank account on adult entertainment websites and more specifically online sex chat channels. He had also spent £32,500 from his own bank account having funnelled money from Mrs Krywokulskyj’s bank account. The prosecution said the defendant was trying to sell Mrs Krywokulskyj’s home in order to raise extra money.
The defendants, of Bryngwili Road, Hendy, were both found guilty of fraud following the trial. Jason Hearn was sentenced to a total of four years imprisonment and was made subject to a restraining order preventing him from contacting Mrs Morgan for 10 years. Susan Hearn was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Jason Heard had benefited from the theft by £70,389 but only had assets worth £3,424. Judge Paul Hobson ordered the defendant to pay that sum within six months of his release from custody.
Saleh Ahmed, Alexander Booth, Sion Connor, Lester Bromley and Lewis Thomas
A gang who made more than £2m from shipping cocaine into south Wales and across the UK were ordered to pay back £35,000. Members of the gang were previously jailed for 50 years between them.
The drug dealers were found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, mainly cocaine, in November, 2022, at Cardiff Crown Court. The five dealers carried out the large-scale drugs operation over a 10-month period between May 20, 2020, and March 19, 2021. During the operation, they moved cocaine from Liverpool and London into Gwent. They were also known to work out of areas of London, moving class A drugs across the country.
Sion Connor, 38, from Newport was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison and Lewis Thomas, 34, from Gilwern to 12 years and eight months. Lester Bromley, 52, from Ebbw Vale was sent down for five years and four months. Alexander Booth, 37, from Caerphilly was sentenced to nine years and Saleh Ahmed, 40, from London to 15 years.
At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing, Newport Crown Court heard Ahmed had benefited by £1,233,693 as a result of the drugs operation. Booth was found to have benefited by £636,244, Connor was found to have benefited by £45,386 and Bromley by £92,239. The court heard Ahmed’s available assets stood at £6,000. Booth’s available assets stood at £18,250, Connor’s at £975, and Bromley’s at £9,875. Thomas benefited to the tune of £627,892 as a result of his dealing, but only had assets worth £680. Judge Daniel Williams ordered the defendants to pay those sums.
Pictured L-R: Sion Connor, Lewis Thomas, Lester Bromley, Alexander Booth, Saleh Ahmed
(Image: Gwent Police)
Essac Ali
Former chef Essac Ali, who was found in possession of up to £2.2m worth of heroin and crack cocaine, was ordered to pay back £29,000. The drugs were found when police searched properties he was linked to.
Essac Ali, 35, was arrested by police in Cardiff on March 8 last year after he was forced to stop his car by a three-car box manoeuvre when he tried to escape. He had to be dragged out of his vehicle with police breaking the windows to enable them to access the car.
The defendant was found in possession of a small amount of Class A drugs and cash. But searches were carried out at addresses in Cathedral Road and Cowbridge Road East that he was linked to. A total of 17kg of heroin and 4kg of crack cocaine were discovered along with £10,000 in cash. The wholesale value of the drugs was calculated between £300,000 and £438,000 but had a street value of between £2.17m and £2.28m.
Ali, of Plantagenet Street, Riverside, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property. The court heard he had previous convictions for possession with intent to supply heroin, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession of cannabis, and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced to total of 104 months imprisonment, which amounts to more than eight years.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Ali benefited to the tune of £1,073,954 but only had available assets of £29,330. Judge Shoman Khan ordered the defendant to pay that sum.
Essac Ali, 35, of Cardiff, was found in possession of £2.2m worth of heroin and crack cocaine after police searched properties he was connected to
(Image: South Wales Police)
William Dolbear Sr
A pensioner who ran a cannabis factory with his son and was found with indecent images of children was ordered to pay back more than a quarter of a million pounds. He was part of a conspiracy in which 156 plants were being grown in an attic, and was found to have benefited by £345,000.
William Dolbear Sr, 73, was arrested along with his son, William Samuel Dolbear Jr, 30, on November 6, 2019, after a house in Bridgend was raided by police and a cannabis factory discovered in the attic. The smell of cannabis upon entering the house was said to be “overwhelming” and the set-up was described as a “highly professional commercial operation”.
There were five separate growing areas, illuminated by six high-powered 600 watt lamps, three carbon filters, dehumidifiers and extraction fans. The potential yield of the plants was between 160 and 498 ounces, with a value between £28,220 and £109,560. There were also 111 seedling plants, with a value up to £73,260.
Dolbear Sr was sentenced to a total of five years and 10 months imprisonment, in his absence A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Newport Crown Court heard Dolbear Sr benefited to the tune of £345,527 as a result of the venture, but only had assets worth £289,439. In the defendant’s absence, Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant ordered him to pay that sum within three months or serve four years and six months imprisonment in default.
William Dolbear Sr, 73, ran a cannabis factory in Bridgend with his son William Dolbear Jr, and was found with indecent images of children
(Image: South Wales Police)
Jermaine Taylor and Kirsty Taleb-Williams
A former rugby protégé who chewed and swallowed a phone sim card as police smashed his partner’s car window made £23,000 from drug dealing. He was found in possession of crack cocaine and discovered to be running a dedicated drugs line.
Jermaine Taylor, 25, was the passenger in a car driven by his partner Kirsty Taleb-Williams, 31, in Newport on February 27 last year when he was seen by police attempting to make a drug deal. The police positioned their car behind the vehicle as the potential customer ran off and the couple remained inside car.
The defendant was seen removing a sim card from a burner-style phone before swallowing it and snapping the phone into pieces. The police smashed a car window to get inside and both of the defendants were arrested. Taylor was found in possession of around £400 in cash and two cling film wraps of crack cocaine weighing 0.6g and worth £80. Taleb-Williams denied knowing Taylor was intending to supply drugs despite beeping her horn to the customer.
At a sentencing hearing in March, 2023, Taylor was sentenced to six years and nine months imprisonment – a term the defendant took exception to by swearing in the dock. Taleb-Williams was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment suspended for two years and made subject to a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement and a four-month curfew.
At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court the court was told Taylor had benefited to the tune of £23,507 but only had assets worth £5,244. Taleb-Williams was found to have benefited by £415 but only had assets worth £322. Judge Shomon Khan ordered the defendants to pay those respective figures with Taylor to serve four months imprisonment in default of payment and Taleb-Williams to serve seven days in default of payment.
Jermaine Taylor, 25, was the passenger in a car in Newport when he was seen by police attempting to make a drug deal
(Image: Gwent Police)
Ronald Grimes
Ronald Grimes was caught smuggling £1m of drugs into Wales and made almost half a million pounds. The dealer was caught carrying 105kg of amphetamine with a street value of more than £1m while travelling from Liverpool.
The 46-year-old was stopped by West Mercia police on his way from Liverpool to south Wales on June 12 last year as part of a joint operation run by Tarian, the regional organised crime unit for southern Wales, and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU).
The defendant was sentenced to seven years in prison reduced from a 10-year sentence following his guilty plea. At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court Grimes was said to have benefited to the tune of £456,126 but only had assets worth £3,727. Judge Richard Kember ordered him to pay that sum within three months or serve three months imprisonment in default.
Ronald Grimes
(Image: Tarian)
Shawn Martin
Shawn Martin was found to have made £93,000 through running a production line of cannabis and was ordered to pay back just £7,000. He was discovered in his bedroom surrounded by the drug when police raided his home.
The 27-year-old of Cardiff was investigated as part of an intelligence-led operation by Tarian regional organised crime unit (ROCU), made up of South Wales Police, Gwent Police, and Dyfed-Powys Police officers and staff with partners in the UK Border Force. Officers from Tarian’s regional disruption team attended Martin’s address in Canton on May 31 last year after a parcel from the USA containing a kilogram of cannabis and addressed to Martin had been intercepted three days earlier.
When officers entered the property Martin was found surrounded by wholesale amounts of cannabis which he was in the process of decanting into small bags. His bedroom was described as a “cannabis production line”, including numerous empty parcels and items which had been used to conceal cannabis while being imported.
A search of Martin’s bedroom revealed huge amounts of cannabis labelled with individual strains, cannabis vapes, various edible drugs such as psilocybin-laced chocolate, THC gummies, and evidence of drug supply such as tick lists, weighing scales, and paraphernalia. There was £2,825 in cash located in the bedroom.
While officers were searching the house a parcel that had been shipped from the USA addressed to the defendant was delivered. This parcel stated it was from a sender in the US and contained “geography books”. The parcel was opened and found to contain a further kilo of cannabis inside numerous layers of wrapping and vacuum bags. The total amount of cannabis including cannabis resin seized weighed more than 5.6kg with an estimated street value of between £48,720 and £53,300.
On October 26 last year Martin appeared at Newport Crown Court where he was convicted of these offences and sentenced to five years in prison. A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Newport Crown Court heard Martin benefited to the tune of £93,520 as a result of the enterprise but only had assets worth £7,925. Judge Carl Harrison ordered the defendant to pay that sum within three months or serve an additional four months imprisonment in default.
Shawn Martin
(Image: Tarian Regional Cyber Crime Unit)
Kyle Redwood and Chloe George
A drug dealing couple found to have benefited by more than £30,000 from supplying cocaine were ordered to pay back just £4,000. They were found in possession of up to £1,500 worth of cocaine when they were stopped by police. Kyle Redwood, 31, and Chloe George, 29, were seen by police in a black car in Church Village on April 23 last year. They aroused suspicion after a man approached the driver’s side of the car and appeared to engage in a drug deal.
Police continued to follow the car as it made its way through Treforest and Pontypridd before bringing the vehicle to a stop on the Broadway Interchange. Both of the defendants were placed in handcuffs and the car was searched. A number of items were seized including a grip seal bag containing cocaine, £55 in cash, a black iPhone and an IMO phone. Redwood was also strip searched and found in possession of 10 bags containing cocaine in his underwear.
Redwood was sentenced to a total of 32 months imprisonment. George was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work, a 10 day rehabilitation activity requirement, and to pay court costs of £420.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Redwood benefited to the tune of £34,447 as a result of the offending, but had assets worth only £1,766. Recorder Dyfed Thomas ordered the defendant to pay that sum within one month or serve six months imprisonment in default. George was found to have benefited by £27,842 but had assets worth only 2,566. She was ordered to pay that sum within three months or serve six months imprisonment in default.
Kyle Redwood, 31, was found with up to £1,500 worth of cocaine after he was stopped by police driving through Pontypridd
(Image: South Wales Police)
Joseph McLaggon
A “chemsex” drug dealer whose package was intercepted by airport officials was ordered to pay back just £9,000 after benefiting by £600,000. He initially claimed he was selling drug GBL as a cleaning fluid. The offending of Joseph McLaggon, 37, of Barry, came to light when customs officials at Stansted Airport found GBL in a package destined for his home. Police learned McLaggon had imported around 1,000 litres of GBL in six months.
Police found around two grams of crystal meth in McLaggon’s flat. He told a jury this was for personal use and that he had been running a legitimate business selling GBL as a solvent for cleaning products, but they rejected his explanations.
McLaggon, of Subway Road, Barry, was convicted of importing a Class B substance and being concerned in its supply between April, 2022, and his arrest that October, as well as being concerned in the supply of Class A drug, crystal meth, and possession of Class B drug, cannabis. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard McLaggon benefited to the tune of £672,791, but only had assets worth £9,722. Recorder Dyfed Thomas ordered the defendant to pay that sum within one month or serve six months imprisonment in default.
Joseph McLaggon
(Image: South Wales Police)
Lester Gibson
Lester Gibson, who was found in possession of more than £25,000 worth of heroin and cocaine, was ordered to pay back £11,000 after benefiting by £38,000. He was also found with a Louis Vuitton bag, Milwaukee drill, a Tag Heuer watch, Airpods, and a Burberry handbag, which had been stolen in a burglary.
The 44-year-old was arrested at his home in Newport on January 11 when police executed a warrant. During a search of the house in Itchen Road, Bettws, 48g of heroin worth £4,800, a further 150g block of heroin worth £12,000, and a 128g block of cocaine worth £10,000 were also found.
A total of £23,205 was found in cash as well as a number of items taken from an address in Malpas Road. Prosecutor Nik Strobl said these items included a Louis Vuitton bag worth £200, a Milwaukee drill worth £550, a Tag Heuer watch worth £2,000, Apple Airpods worth £240, and a Burberry handbag worth £500. He was sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Newport Crown Court was told Gibson benefited to the tune of £38,332 as result of his offending but only had assets worth £11,922. Judge Eugene Egan ordered the defendant to pay that sum within six months or serve a period of time in custody which was yet to be determined.
Lester Gibson, 44, of Newport, was found with £25,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine along with expensive items stolen during a burglary
(Image: Gwent Police)
Tabitha Richardson
An elderly woman who illegally operated as a loan shark has been ordered to pay back £173,000 and £35,000 worth of compensation to her victims. She charged up to 40% in interest to people she lent money to and made threats to “come look for them”.
Tabitha Richardson, 83, of Newport, left one couple “trapped in a cycle of debt” and having to pay back more than their income every month. Officers from the Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit (WIMLU) visited the defendant on August 30, 2022, after receiving information about her illegal activities. She had previously held a licence which allowed her to lend money legally but this had lapsed and she knowingly carried out her practices when unlicensed.
A search was carried out at Richardson’s home in Nash Road and a safe was found in her garage. She initially claimed it contained property deeds and she had lost the key, but a locksmith was called out to break open the safe, which was found to contain £6,550 in cash. Also seized were bank books, lending books, files and various bits of paperwork.
Richardson lent a total of £126,000 while unlicensed. One couple received threats from Richardson through text messages when they failed to make repayments. They were in receipt of benefits and were unable to work due to their health conditions, but their loan repayments got to the point where they were paying back more than their monthly income, at £1,400 a month.
The defendant was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, in August last year. At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court, Richardson was found to have benefited from her illegal practices by £173,195. The court heard she had available amounts of that sum which would be achieved through the sale of a property. Judge Hywel James ordered the defendant to pay that sum, of which £35,285 will be used as compensation for her victims.
Tabitha Richardson, 83, of Newport, operated as an illegal loan shark and sent threatening messages to customers behind on payments
(Image: Cardiff council)
Joshua Matthews, Kaid Mohamed and Vincent Aquilina
Members of an organised crime group (OCG) which dealt wholesale amounts of cocaine throughout south Wales were ordered to pay back more than £300,000. Cocaine worth a total street value of £400,000 was recovered by a police operation.
Joshua Matthews, 27, headed up the OCG having bought drugs from several upstream suppliers. He was seen by police receiving a bag containing 4kg of cocaine from associate Vincent Aquilina, 25, at an address in Cardiff on July 21 last year.
Matthews placed the bag in a Range Rover, but was arrested a short time later on the A4119 in Miskin following a police chase which caused damage to 20 cars and caused injuries to people on the road. The bag of cocaine was recovered and the address in Cardiff was searched where a further 1.5kg of cocaine and 3kg of cannabis bush were discovered. A phone linked to Matthews was examined and was found to contain text messages with evidence of significant drug dealing.
Joshua Matthews, of The Drive, Miskin, Pontyclun, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply class A drugs and dangerous driving. Vincent Aquilina, of Grand Avenue, Ely, was sentenced to seven years and three months imprisonment for conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Kaid Mohamed, 39, of Heol Poyston, Caerau, was sentenced to 11 years and six months imprisonment for conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Matthews benefited to the tune of £153,550 from dealing, but only had assets worth £119,900. He was ordered to pay that sum within three months or serve nine months imprisonment in default. Mohamed was found to have benefited by £192,500, and had assets of that figure. He was ordered to pay the sum within three months or serve 20 months imprisonment in default.
Joshua Matthews (left), Kaid Mohamed (middle) and Vincent Aquilina (right) were involved in an operation which dealt wholesale amounts of cocaine throughout south Wales
(Image: South Wales Police)
David Rogers
David Rogers, who who sold cocaine to a 17-year-old boy on two occasions, was ordered to pay back £29,000 after making more than £50,000. He continued to deal drugs after being placed on bail by police.
The 52-year-old was first raided by police at his Maesteg home on December 1, 2020, at around 8.40am where a number of items were recovered including illegal substances, mobile phones, large quantities of cash, and drug paraphernalia. 340g of amphetamine, worth between £1,880 and £3,760, was discovered along with cannabis and £2,575 in cash.
On November 10, 2022, a further warrant was executed at Rodgers’ Mill Street home and he was present with his partner Jacqueline Jones, 50. A search of the property led to the discovery of 499g of female flowering head cannabis, worth between £2,385 and £4,315, 171g of amphetamine worth between £480 and £800, and 10 tablets of 2C-B.
Rodgers was sentenced to 58 months imprisonment with a consecutive two months for the breach of the suspended sentence. A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on May 17 heard Rodgers benefited to the tune of £50,008 as a result of his offending, but only had assets worth £29,026. He was ordered to pay that sum or serve 18 months imprisonment in default.
David Rodgers, 51, of Maesteg, sold cocaine to a 17-year-old boy and was found in possession of amphetamine and cannabis
(Image: South Wales Police)
Christopher Sullivan
Christopher Sullivan, who began selling heroin and crack cocaine after he lost his job in Lidl and had to repay a debt after his wages were overpaid, was ordered to pay back £900. Officers found the illegal substances at his home and more than £3,000 in cash.
A drugs warrant was executed at his home in Newport on August 24 last year when police forced entry into the property. They found the defendant and another inside and Sullivan confirmed he was the sole occupant. A search was carried out and packages were found containing white and brown powder. The substances were later tested and found to be 16.5g of heroin and 36.35g of crack cocaine. Also found were grip seal bags, weighing scales, a knuckle duster and £3,990 in cash.
The defendant later pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, possession of an offensive weapon and possession of criminal property. The court heard he had six previous convictions, including handling stolen goods.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on May 17, heard Sullivan benefited to the tune of £17,292 but only had assets worth £912. Judge Shoman Khan ordered the defendant to pay that sum within three months or serve six months imprisonment in default.
Christopher Sullivan, 34, was found in possession of 16.5g of heroin and 36.35g of crack cocaine at his Newport home
(Image: Gwent Police)
Jonathan Jackson
A drugs courier found in possession of more than £10,000 worth of cocaine when stopped by police travelling back from Liverpool to south Wales was ordered to pay back £1 after making more than £80,000. A total of 250g of the class A drug was found in total.
Jonathan Jackson, 34, and his girlfriend Katie Jones, 26, were stopped on May 23 between junction 30 for Cardiff East and junction 32 for Cardiff North and Merthyr Tydfil. Police had received intelligence the couple were potentially involved in the supply of drugs.
The car was searched and the cocaine was found in a central console. Jones initially claimed she had travelled to Liverpool to see her family, but they weren’t in. Jackson, of Main Road, Abercynon, later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply controlled drugs of class A. The court heard he had three previous convictions for unrelated matters.
Jackson was sentenced to a total of 33 months imprisonment. Jones was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months. A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on May 17 heard Jackson benefited to the tune of £86,268, but didn’t have any available assets. He was ordered to pay back a nominal sum of £1.
Jonathan Jackson, 34, and his girlfriend Katie Jones, 26, were caught with 250g of cocaine after being stopped on the M4
(Image: South Wales Police)
Aaran Sargeant
A drug dealer who agreed to store more than a kilo of cocaine worth up to £44,000 at the home he shared with his elderly mother was ordered to pay back £2,500. He was also found in possession of up to £4,000 worth of cannabis.
Aaran Sargeant, 29, was raided by police at his Blackwood home on June 23 when only his mother was present. During the search, officers recovered a clear bag containing an unknown white substance. A brick covered in brown tape with the logo “Montclaire” on it was also discovered as well as THC cannabis vapes in a tote bag, weighing scales covered in brown herbal matter, and a large vacuum bag containing herbal matter.
The seized items were forensically examined and the white substance was found to be 135g of cocaine, of 84% purity, worth between £11,000 and £14,000. The brown brick was found to be 1003g of cocaine, of 82% purity, worth between £23,000 and £30,000. The vacuum pack bag was found to contain 417g of female flowering head cannabis with a street value of £4,710.
Sargeant, of Lewis Avenue, pleaded guilty on the basis he was a custodian of the cocaine on behalf of his cannabis dealer, in exchange for 7g of cocaine. He said he took possession of the cocaine on the day it was seized by police. He admitted purchasing cannabis in bulk which he supplied to a small group of people. Sargeant was sentenced to a total of 30 months imprisonment.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Newport Crown Court on May 17 heard Sargeant benefited to the tune of £2,880 from his actions but only had assets worth £2,535. He was ordered to pay that sum or serve four months imprisonment in default.
Aaran Sargeant, 29, of Blackwood, was found in possession of £44,000 worth of cocaine and £4,000 worth of cannabis
(Image: Gwent Police)
Gavin Taylor, Anthony Park and Karl Jones
Almost £1m of waste was unlawfully dumped on the property of a landowner, and he’s only set to receive just £7,000 in compensation. The prosecution was brought forward by Natural Resources Wales after over 1,600 tonnes of waste was illegally disposed of at the site in Llay, Wrexham.
Three individuals have since been sentenced at court for their actions. It later surfaced during a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Mold Crown Court that landowner Nathan Church, alongside his company, had almost lost £1m in connection with the case. A judge heard there wasn’t enough money left to compensate Mr Church for the clean-up costs, and he ordered one of the offenders must hand over £7,000 to Mr Church, while the other two need only pay a token sum of £1 each.
The POCA hearing involved defendants Gavin Taylor, 45, from Barlow Drive, Sheffield; Anthony Park, 55, from Coronation Road, Carmarthen, and Karl Jones, 37, from Oak Tree Close, Wickersley, Rotherham. Prosecutor Christopher Stables said Mr Church was the director and owner of Distant Shores Ltd, where the rubbish ended up.
Mr Church and his company suffered an estimated loss of £934,589 due to the actions of the three defendants- a figure “not far off £1 million”, according to the prosecutor. Mr Stables noted Taylor accrued financial benefits totalling £351,772, though recommended that the “recoverable amount” should be a symbolic sum of £1, reported North Wales Live. The judge agreed and ordered Taylor to pay within seven days, or risk incarceration for a day.
Jeff Lane
A landowner who illegally felled eight hectares of native woodland in one of Wales’ most beautiful natural areas was convicted in court. Jeff Lane was told he would have to pay more than £12,000 following the court case – however it is a fraction of the nearly £80,000 he was estimated to have made from his crime.
Lane cut down the trees in Gower, Swansea, which is an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wales. He was prosecuted under forestry legislation by Natural Resources Wales and, in a UK legal first, was issued with a confiscation order for £11,280 under the Proceeds of Crime Act as well as a fine of £1,500. Natural Resources Wales officers said it was one of the worst offences of illegal felling they had seen for 30 years.
Lane illegally felled trees covering an area equivalent to 12 football pitches within the Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near Swansea between April, 2019, and September, 2020, without the appropriate licence. Having previously been found guilty of forestry offences at Swansea Magistrates court in April, 2022, the landowner was slapped with the confiscation order and fine by the judge.
Iuan Mills
Iuan Mills, who ran two drug lines and recruited a 16-year-old to work as his assistant in supplying cocaine and heroin, was ordered to pay back £13,000. Iuan Mills, 23, was visited on January 25 by members of South Wales Police’s organised crime team who also executed a warrant at the youth’s house.
In the months prior to their arrests intelligence had been gathered on the ‘S’ drugs line which was being operated over two mobile numbers. A sentencing hearing at Swansea Nightingale Court heard the defendant was at his Cardiff home with his mother, stepfather, and siblings when the police arrived. Mobile phones were seized as well as £9,990.
At the youth’s house three cling film wraps were discovered containing a total of 2.3g of heroin with a value of £120. Various drug paraphernalia was also found including scales and clear plastic bags. A quantity of cannabis was found along with jars containing cannabis traces.
On one of the phones seized there were 19 outgoing messages to 17 different customers notifying them the supplier was “active”, had the best prices, and had a quantity of drugs to sell. The other phone contained six contacts with messages advertising heroin and crack cocaine.
Mills, of Penygarn Road, Ely, later pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and possession of criminal property. He was sentenced to a total of 40 months imprisonment. He will serve half the sentence in custody before he is released to serve the remainder on licence.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Newport Crown Court heard Mills benefited to the tune of £13,288 as a result of his offending and had assets worth £13,090. Judge Christopher Vosper KC ordered the defendant to pay the latter sum within 28 days or serve an additional two months imprisonment in default.
Iuan Mills, 23, of Cardiff, ran two drug lines and recruited a 16-year-old to work as his assistant in supplying cocaine and heroin
(Image: South Wales Police)
David Pollard
A trusted staff member who stole £82,000 from his employer by falsifying invoices was ordered to pay back £45,000. The theft left his boss feeling “anxious and stressful” with his actions having a massive impact on the business.
David Pollard, 38, of Sandfields, Port Talbot, was employed by Bridgend-based BFL Engineering Services for 11 years but during that time he was fleecing the company of thousands of pounds. The thief used the money to pay for flights from easyJet and items from PC World, Ikea, and JD Sports.
He used a number of methods to cover up his offending including falsifying invoices, disguising payments as legitimate business expenses, and changing security information on the company’s bank account. Director and owner of BFL, Carl Clement, employed his friend Pollard as an admin officer in 2011 but promoted him to office manager in 2014, which gave the defendant responsibility for the financial aspects of the business, the accounting software, and paying creditors.
Pollard, of Dalton Road, resigned from the business in July, 2021, and stopped engaging with Mr Clement but when he was interviewed by police he accepted he was responsible for the theft. He claimed he was “treated badly” by Mr Clement and when he first used the cards he planned to pay the money back. He later pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Pollard benefited to the tune of £95,821 as a result of the theft but only had assets worth £45,397. Judge Jeremy Jenkins ordered the defendant to pay that sum within three months.
David Pollard, 38, of Port Talbot, stole £82,000 from his employer, BFL Engineering Services, based in Bridgend
(Image: South Wales Police)
Clinton Simms
A drug dealer who was remanded in the same prison as his father’s killer was ordered to pay back £9,000 after making £36,000 from his illegal activities. He was found with more than 3kg of cannabis.
Clinton Simms, 23, was raided by police at his home in Cardiff on January 21 where he was found in possession of 3.47kg of cannabis. This included a 1.75kg of herbal cannabis, a large bag of cannabis, and 173 labelled jars containing between 3.4g and 3.6g of cannabis. The defendant was also found with £2,600 in cash and he also possessed cryptocurrency. Messages on his phone revealed he had been dealing cannabis between June, 2022, and January this year.
Upon his arrest, Simms made admissions and said he had been dealing cannabis to support his family following the birth of his daughter. The defendant had recently been released from a prison sentence of 12 months after he had been found with 100g of skunk and weapons.
Simms was sentenced to a total of 18 months imprisonment. He will serve half the sentence in custody before he is released to serve the remainder on licence.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Simms had benefited to the tune of £36,736 as a result of his offending but only had assets worth £8,950. Judge Paul Hobson ordered the defendant to pay that sum.
Clinton Simms, 23, was found with more than 3kg of cannabis when police raided his home in Cardiff
(Image: South Wales Police)
Lee Bridgeman
A member of an organised crime group (OCG) in Cardiff which moved more than 50kg of cocaine was ordered to pay back £66,000 despite making £122,000. The group used EncroChat to source and supply Class A drugs in south Wales.
Lee Bridgeman, 37, ran the enterprise along with Kyle Jonhson, 42, Samira Kearle, 39, and Ali Ahmed, 48, between March 1 and May 27, 2020. An investigation into the OCG, known as Operation Aquila, was launched by Tarian, the regional organised crime unit for south Wales.
EncroChat messages showed Johnson, the head of the OCG, arranging the transport of cash from Cardiff to west London as payment for cocaine which had been supplied to the group. Bridgeman was courier for both the drug and cash as well as supplying cocaine locally. Kearle held and couriered cash for the group and Ahmed acted as a courier for both cash and drugs.
Bridgeman, of Fryatt Street, Barry, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. He was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court,Bridgeman was said to have benefited to the tune of £122,000 as a result of his offending but it was heard he only had assets worth £66,500 in the form of seized cash. Judge Paul Hobson ordered the defendant to pay that sum within three months or serve an additional 12 months imprisonment in default.
Lee Bridgeman, 37, was part of an organised crime group in Cardiff and used EncroChat to source and supply class A drugs in south Wales.
(Image: Tarian)
Mark Jenkins, Nicholas Kirkham-Jones
The leader of an organised crime gang who made more than £1.6m from peddling cocaine around the south Wales valleys was ordered to pay back just £81,000. The group conspired to supply 70kg of the drug with couriers and an ‘accountant’ working beneath two masterminds.
Those involved were split into two sides of the conspiracy, with one side being led by Mark Jenkins, 41, and the other by 38-year-old Mark Davies. The plot saw the men communicate via encrypted phone messages using handles including ‘Fire Starter Boss’, ‘Mobile Gold’ and ‘Jaguar Master’, while individual deliveries of up to five kilograms of cocaine were planned. Some of these deliveries were made by gang members who carried significant amounts of the Class A drug in a rucksack, while food packages were also proposed to move drugs and money.
The group were caught after communications network EncroChat, which they used to send their encrypted messages, was cracked by French law enforcement in 2020. A subsequent police investigation into encrypted communications, Operation Draco, was launched, with the men arrested after being found to be involved in a conspiracy to supply cocaine between January 1 and August 19, 2020.
At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court, prosecutor Roger Griffiths said Jenkins had benefited to the tune of £1,660,000. He only had assets worth £81,964, and was ordered by Recorder Richard Kember to pay that sum within three months or serve an additional one-year imprisonment in default.
Another gang member, Christopher Matthews, benefited to the tune of £162,236 as a result of his offending, but only had available assets worth £13,500. Accountant Nicholas Kirkham-Jones, 32, had benefited to the tune of £11,254 as a result of his offending, and has available assets of £44,923.
Angela Clare
Angela Clare, who posted videos of herself pole dancing on social media while claiming £28,000 in benefits, was ordered to pay back £13,000. She was also running pole dancing and yoga classes which she advertised online.
The 45-year-old, of Pontypool, was in receipt of personal independence payment (PIP), employment and support allowance (ESA), and housing benefit between 2016 and 2022. The claims were initially genuine but the defendant failed to notify a change in her health circumstances.
The defendant had claimed she was unable to cook for herself, needed assistance washing and bathing, and required constant monitoring to take her medication. Prosecutor Ross McQuillan-Johnson said this description was a “marked difference” compared to a number of TikTok videos posted by the defendant as well as posts on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Screenshots were made of these social media posts which depicted Clare hanging upside down and performing the splits while pole dancing. She also offered services on a freelance basis as an on-call instructor for yoga classes. The beginner classes were charged at £60 per person. There was a further failure to notify the authorities after Clare won £30,000 on the Postcode Lottery in 2021. The total amount she claimed illegally came to £28,867.
She was sentenced to 18 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months. She was also made subject to a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement. At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court, the court heard Clare benefited to the tune of £27,412 but only had assets worth £13,176. Judge Carl Harrison ordered the defendant to pay that sum within three months.
Daniel Tumelty
A drug dealer found with almost £10,000 of heroin and crack cocaine was ordered to pay back £6,000. He claimed he was “talking with a good friend” during a suspected drug deal.
Daniel Tumelty, 21, was observed by a police officer in Cardiff on January 12 riding an electric bike and approaching a flat. He went up to a window of the flat in Parracombe Close, in Llanrumney, and appeared to exchange items with a man inside the property. The defendant was detained and searched. He was found in possession of 42 small wraps of crack cocaine and 75 wraps of heroin. The estimated value of the drugs was between £7,620 and £9,990.
Tumelty, of no fixed abode, later pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, supplying class A drugs and possession of criminal property. He was sentenced to 45 months imprisonment.
At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court, it was said Tumelty benefited to the tune of £29,975 as a result of his offending, but only had assets worth £6,620. Judge Simon Mills Esq ordered the defendant to pay that sum within three months or serve a default prison sentence of four months.
Daniel Tumelty, 21, was found with almost £10,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine in Llanrumney, Cardiff
(Image: South Wales Police)
Wesley Fender
A cocaine dealer with two luxury cars was ordered to pay back £269,000 despite making more than £360,000. He used an expensive EncroChat device to speak to those above him in a drugs chain and a pseudonym to hide his identity.
Wesley Fender, 40, of Cardiff, was involved the supply of five kilograms of cocaine between March 31 and April 24, 2020, and was known by the handle “LooseBow”. He was described as playing a “leading role” in a conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and had close links to the original source.
Fender would have expected a substantial financial advantage as a result of the conspiracy and was found in possession of two high-valued cars when he was raided by police. The defendant had also been the owner of an Audi R8. The defendant, of Coed y Gores, Pentwyn, initially denied being “LooseBow” but later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at the beginning of his trial. He was sentenced to a term of 12 years imprisonment.
At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing, the court heard Fender benefited to the tune of £362,500, but only had assets worth £268,423. He was ordered to pay that sum by Recorder Aiden Eardley KC.
Wesley Fender, 39, of Cardiff, was responsible for the supply of 5kg of cocaine and used an EncroChat device to speak to other dealers
(Image: South Wales Police)
Julie Pearce, Rosalie Pearce and Kaylie Adams
A mum and her two daughters who made £125,000 from running an illegal puppy breeding business in “atrocious” conditions in the family home were ordered to pay back £60,000. When the property was raided officers found dozens of dogs and pups living in rooms filthy with faeces and urine, and with little access to water, light or fresh air.
Mother Julie Pearce and daughters Rosalie Pearce and Kaylie Adams sold the puppies online on sites including Gumtree as being the offspring of much-loved family pets but the reality was very different, with the pups actually being the result of a large-scale and profitable puppy farming operation. Barristers for the trio claimed their clients were genuinely sorry for what was happening in the property.
When officers from Caerphilly Council, along with police and RSPCA officers and a vet went to an address in Glyn Terrace in Fochriw in March, 2022, they found a total of 54 dogs being kept in “atrocious” conditions in dark rooms which were covered in faeces and urine. The defendants were not present when the search warrant was executed, and the dozens of dogs were in the care of a youth.
The court heard many of the dogs in the house had hair which was dirty and matted, and some were infested with fleas. Officers found a number of puppy pens which were far too small for the number of pups being kept in them and the dogs were “desperate for attention and play” and were nervous around people, indicating a lack of socialisation.
In one of the bedrooms – which was described as being unventilated and with a “heavy fly infestation” – the officers found a dozen dogs, several of which were small and underweight, while officers found another 23 dogs living in the dining room of the house without water. In another room officers found a bitch suckling her litter – the room was described as being too cold for the pups, and there was no water for the mother.
Rosalie Pearce was sentenced to 56 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months and was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work; Kaylie Adams was sentenced to 56 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months and was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation course; Julie Pearce was sentenced to 42 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months. All three defendants were banned from keeping animals for the next 10 years.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Julie Pearce benefited to the tune of £60,000 as a result of her offending, and had available assets worth £60,000. She was ordered to pay that sum within three months or serve 12 months’ imprisonment as a default.
Shahid Kahim and Parvez Uddin
Two men who turned to drug dealing after losing their jobs before being caught by police delivering cocaine and ketamine around Cardiff in an old taxi were ordered to pay back more than £5,000 between them. Shahid Kahim, 26, and Parvez Uddin, 33, both of Newport, used the taxi to “throw off suspicion” as they drove around the capital with hundreds of bags of Class A drugs in the back.
Officers noticed the pair in the front seats of the vehicle, which was emblazoned with the logo of Premier Taxis but had expired number plates. After they were stopped, both men were searched, while a “substantial” amount of drugs was discovered in the taxi, thought to be worth tens of thousands of pounds.
The “substantial” discoveries amounted to 144 small sealed bags of ketamine and 414 small sealed bags of cocaine which were split between the two larger holdalls. In total, 91.3g of ketamine was found, as well as 147.8g of cocaine, with the drugs found estimated to have a street value of around £20,820. Kahim was sentenced to a total of 33 months imprisonment and Uddin was sentenced to 32 months in prison.
At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court, the court heard Kahim benefited to the tune of £37,993 but only had assets worth £5,965. Uddin benefited to the tune of £32,520 but only had assets worth £110. Judge Eugene Egan ordered the defendants to repay the available sums.
Kahim, left, and Uddin, right, used the taxi to deliver hundreds of bags of Class A drugs around Cardiff
(Image: South Wales Police)
Todd Wickens, Kew Delaney and Michael Berry
Three men jailed after Asian families’ gold was targeted in raids were only ordered to repay a fraction of their haul because there was little to no money left.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing was held at Mold Crown Court. The aim was to find out how much the defendants ought to pay back. It concluded that the repayment was only few thousand pounds, and in the case of one defendant, nothing at all.
In April, 2023, 35-year-old Todd Wickens of Homestead Lane, Wrexham, and 35-year-old Kew Delaney, of Ruthin Road, Wrexham, were both jailed for conspiring to commit burglary with intent to steal in the Wrexham area. An accomplice, 25-year-old Michael Berry of Homestead Lane, Wrexham, was also jailed for handling stolen goods.
A judge heard there was little money from the crimes available to claw back. The court heard how Wickens benefited by £53,293.96.
Prosecutor Elen Owen applied for the court to make a compensation order for £2,570. The Crown also claimed that Delaney also benefited by £53.293.96. Ms Owen applied for a compensation order of £780 in his case. And in Berry’s case, he benefited by £17,849.73. However, the prosecutor said the available amount was “nil”, and therefore applied for a nominal sum of £1. The court heard that vehicles which were seized during the case would have to be sold at auction to raise the larger of those three amounts.
From left to right: Todd Wickens, Kew Delaney and Michael Berry appeared in court on Tuesday for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing
(Image: North Wales Police)
Warren Roberts
Council staff who took cash bribes from the boss of a skip firm to allow him to cheaply dump waste at a recycling centre were ordered to pay back thousands of pounds between them. The employees were given cash backhanders by the waste firm’s owner totalling around £1,700 a week.
Warren Roberts, owner of skip firm A&T, entered into a criminal agreement with four employees of Cardiff Council – Cesario Deabreu, Andrew Barnett, Anthony Miles, and Joshua Hayman – in order to reduce the amount he was being charged for taking waste to the Bessemer Close recycling centre in Leckwith.
Arrangements were made to under-weigh loads he was delivering and for the mis-recording of expensive mixed waste as simple loads of rubble and hardcore. The scam came to a light when a whistle-blower alerted his bosses.
A&T would deposit loads of waste on a regular basis and sometimes several times daily. The agreement between Roberts and the council workers included falsely recording loads of “mixed waste” – which requires significant amount of work to sort and process and which therefore attracts a much higher charge – as simple loads of rubble which have a much lower charge to handle. Roberts was sentenced to 28 months in prison.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Roberts benefited to the tune of £251,282 as a result of his offending. Judge Simon Mills Esq ordered the defendant to pay that sum within three months or serve three months imprisonment in default. He was also ordered to pay £750 in costs.
Leighton Walkley
Rogue builder Leighton Walkley who left his victims’ home in a state of disrepair with shoddy work left unfinished was ordered to pay back £30,000. The stress caused to the homeowners contributed to suicidal feelings.
The 46-year-old carried out work at his victims’ home in Caerphilly between August, 2021, and July, 2022 while trading under the name L&B Brickwork. The couple employed him to carry out an extension on their home as well as a patio and the building of a summerhouse.
The victims were expecting a baby and hoped for the work to be completed within eight to 10 weeks before the baby’s birth. Work began on August 3, 2021, but the work had not been completed by the birth of the couple’s son in September, 2021. At this stage work slowed down due to the defendant working other jobs.
Work was sporadic between September and December, 2021, with excuses being made by Walkley as to why he could not attend. Work picked back up in January, 2022, but in March further issues arose and the defendant and his labourers disappeared. By this time the victims’ property was having multiple leaks.
By July, 2022, there was a raw sewage leak in the garden and the victims contacted Welsh Water. It was discovered that pipes had been cut but were resealed to the wrong pipe, which led to the sewage passing through a redundant line. This issue was later repaired by the defendant.
At the time of the hearing the works had not been completed and the couple lost a substantial amount of money and they could not afford to complete the works. Ten transactions paid to Walkley came to a total of £70,377 with the estimated costs to repair and complete the work standing at £36,000.
Walkley was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment suspended for two years and also ordered to carry out 120 hours unpaid work. A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Walkley benefited to the tune of £30,000 as a result of his offending. Judge Shomon Khan ordered the defendant to pay that sum.
Lucy Adcock
Lucy Adcock used drones to smuggle £1m of contraband into jails including a Welsh prison but was ordered to pay back just £1. Lucy Adcock, 47, was the ringleader of a group who organised 22 drops in a month across six British jails before she was arrested in a Premier Inn car park.
Staff at HMP Parc in Bridgend found a dropped package on April 24 last year containing illicit items worth £50,000 on the prison market including Class A and B drugs as well as mobile phones. The drone operator was not identified but in the early hours of May 11 two more packages were recovered from the Parc exercise yard. Police were alerted and automatic number-plate recognition was used to identify vehicles in the area at the time.
In a previous court hearing, Prosecutor Matthew Cobbe said: “It wasn’t long before Lucy Adcock’s car was traced. She had driven down from the London area and she was stopped in the car park of the Premier Inn in Bridgend by officers later that day. She had a drone in the car with her. In fact the drone had software that could be downloaded and examined. The examination revealed that it had been used not just during the early hours of that morning to deliver drugs to Parc prison but it had been used on many previous occasions and at other prisons across the country.”
In the month up to May 11 the group had flown drones 22 times over five other prisons – Gartree in Leicestershire, Onley in Warwickshire, Guys Marsh in Shaftesbury, High Down in Sutton, and the Mount in Hemel Hempstead. Analysis of Adcock’s phone led to police arresting Craig Davenport, Ryan Dorland, Nicola Ogle, and Emma Watson, all of whom admitted involvement in the conspiracy.
The group attached fishhooks to the packages to make them easier to grab from inside a jail cell. A sheet would be thrown out to snag onto the package and draw it in. Packages recovered included cocaine, the opioid Subutex, the anabolic steroid Oxandrolone, the painkiller Phenacetin, cannabis resin, sheets of A4 paper soaked in the synthetic cannabinoid spice, iPhones, sim cards, charger cables, and tobacco. It was estimated the group supplied items with a total prison market value of £1,099,670 to £1,426,150.
Adcock was jailed for six years. At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court the court heard Adcock benefited to the tune of £1,262,910 as a result of her offending but didn’t have any assets. Judge Paul Hobson ordered the defendant to pay a nominal sum of £1 or serve an additional one day imprisonment in default.
Lucy Adcock