A care worker caught by police with 6kg of heroin in the boot of her Audi had turned to a life of crime carrying drugs to pay off a former lover's debt. Claire Dooley was jailed for four years after admitting to possession of heroin with intent to supply, and possession of cannabis.
Liverpool Crown Court heard the 43-year-old was approached by a gang to work for them in order to pay off her former partner's drugs debt. In exchange for couriering drugs and dirty cash, the carer would be paid £1,000.
After "bumping into a man by chance", she agreed to have the cash planted in her boot and to drive to an address. Dooley would then pick up the drugs and return, reports the Liverpool Echo.
However, things went wrong for the defendant when she was spotted by officers stopping outside a property earlier this year. Joanne Cronshaw, prosecuting, described how co-defendant Patrick Campbell walked out of the address with a white carrier bag and put it in the truck, before removing a green carrier bag.
Dooley then drove away onto the M57 before being stopped on the Knowsley Expressway by officials. The bag in her vehicle was found to contain a number of brown parcels, later revealed to be 6.69kg of heroin of around 40 per cent purity.
A subsequent search of her home revealed £3,000 in cash and a small quantity of cannabis for personal use. Officers returned to the property on Petherick Road and had to force entry after 29-year-old Campbell refused to open the door.
Dooley, who appeared via video link to HMP Styal, has two previous convictions for four offences. She admitted possession of heroin with intent to supply and possession of cannabis. John Rowan, defending, said: "This is offending completely out of character for this lady, effectively on impulse - a moment of madness.
"This is a lady who has made a massive, massive mistake and is now going to bear heavy the consequences of that. She is a lady whom for many years has been a carer, not only employed as a carer - working throughout covid, working very hard and putting herself at risk - but also being a primary carer for her brother, who has significant health issues.
"She is a very diligent, hard-working woman. She is a lady described as having a big heart. She wants the court to know how disappointed and ashamed she is at finding herself before the court at her age for serious offending."
Co-defendant Patrick Campbell has two previous convictions for six offences. Julian Nutter, defending, said: "There are small children and he will miss them. He did confess his crime to the police. He has done everything he can to bring this case forward and has faced this case with his jaw sticking out like a man."
Judge Neil Flewitt KC jailed Dooley for four years. Campbell, who appeared in court via video link to HMP Altcourse, admitted possession of heroin with intent to supply and possession of criminal property and was handed seven years and eight months.
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