A former accountant was the victim of 'cuckooing' in her flat when her husband of ten years was remanded into custody for another matter. He was Trisha Causer's designated carer for her physical and mental health problems and without him she was lost, insecure and emotionally brittle, said a judge.
As she could not cope living without him, Causer, resorted to using heroin, as she had done previously, to settle her nerves, Nottingham Crown Court heard on Tuesday. And then she fell under the sway of two young men to the extent they moved into her flat to deal drugs - a process known as cuckooing.
Cuckooing, the illegal practice of taking over a person's property to use it for criminal activities such as drug dealing, was depicted in hit BBC show Line of Duty. The term takes inspiration from a cuckoo's habit of taking over other birds' nests to house its young.
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The court heard how Causer's childhood, Judge Stuart Rafferty QC told her, had, "scarred you", and caused her mental health difficulties. She had led an "utterly decent, law-abiding life", working hard and was doing well, but she lost herself and began to take drugs.
The details of her tragic background were aired in court as she was spared jail for attempted robbery, involving both of the men said to have dealt the drugs, and who were previously jailed for more than five years for their roles in the failed raid.
Causer pleaded guilty to the attempted robbery on the basis she did not know either of her co-accused had knives or that they would be used at the address, on February 9, 2018, in Oakfield Street, Ripley. Causer visited the young victim alone.
But a few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Causer opened it, and the two men rushed him. The victim recognised them both after previously buying heroin and cocaine from them.
He was repeatedly punched and tried to curl up in a ball to protect himself. One shouted, "where is your money?" but the victim said he did have any. A coffee mug was thrown at him, and then the tip of a knife was held by his thigh, and he was asked, "do you want this stuck in you?" All three left.
The victim, who suffered bruising and swelling, alerted police and both men were arrested at a bus stop. A large kitchen knife fell from a coat. One said he had a knife in his jogging bottoms. He was searched and a small silver-coloured lock knife was recovered and a key to Causer's address.
In a statement, the victim said: "I have suffered anxiety for a number of years. This incident caused increases with my anxiety which I struggled with for sometime afterwards. I have a past which involves crime and drug use. At the time of the incident I was struggling with drug addiction. This, in my view, does not excuse what happened to me. I cannot condone the defendant's actions.
"These offenders came into my home address and I was attacked viciously, which left me anxious and frightened to be in my home alone. I had a friendship with Causer and I am disappointed my trust was abused in this incident".
The court heard Causer, 39, of Wellington Street, Ripley, had been in a vulnerable position, exploited by others. Judge Rafferty told her: "You fell under the sway of these two younger men to the extent they moved into your flat and you, to use the common parlance now, you were being cuckooed. In other words they were using your flat to deal drugs from."
With her difficulties, to send her to prison would be "unjust", added the judge, as the affect of the proceedings on her have been "heavy" and she made a serious attempt to harm herself when she came to court last November.
She left court with a two-year suspended prison sentence, suspended for two years, a two-year community order and 20 rehabilitation activity days.
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