Mother 'blackmailed' by son into dealing drugs

Mother-of-four Jacqueline Chambers was caught after police carried out a raid on her Stafford home to arrest her son, Wayne Shepherd in November last year.

Officers seized a variety of drugs with a total street value of £245 from his bedroom and several mobile phones, Stafford Crown Court heard this week.

One of them belonged to Chambers and on it were a number of text messages relating to cannabis deals, said Mr Richard Davenport, prosecuting.

Chambers was not arrested over that matter until February 3 this year, when she made a confession. She said she had been under pressure from her son and was in fear of his aggression.

She was bailed by the police but on June 5 turned up at Brinsford Young Offenders Institution to visit her son, who was now in custody. A sniffer dog picked her out as a likely drug carrier and when she was taken off to be searched, she pulled a package out of her trousers. The package contained 2.2g of cannabis with an outside street value of £20, but worth £80 inside a prison.

Chambers, aged 46, of Hinton Close, Stafford admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis and taking a prohibited article in to prison.

Judge Paul Glenn told her: "As an adult you should have been capable of resisting your son's requests to what you knew was illegal behaviour. Although you made no financial gain, your actions enabled your son to trade for financial gain.

"I am aware these convictions will result in eviction from your home, you really should have thought about that before you got involved."

Mr David Bratt, defending, said: "At no time has her motivation ever been financial reward. She found herself in an intolerable position, where she feels pressure to act on her son's instructions. It's emotional blackmail and aggressive behaviour; he knows his mother well, he knows how to manipulate her and although he's been the author of his mother's downfall, she feels compelled to continue a relationship with him.

"She is more sinned against than sinner, and the true sinner is Wayne Shepherd. There is no suggestion she has been involved in anything of this kind, other than at the insistence of her son."