Bilston drugs den mother spared prison term
A mother has been spared jail after her son turned their Bilston home into a drugs den behind her back. Police found amphetamines hidden in the rented house and a "lump" of cocaine in a safe, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard
There were also 27 cannabis plants growing in the garage of the property in Wellington Road, prosecutor Gary Cook told the court.
Officers arrested 47-year-old Christine Faulkner and her three sons after swooping on the premises with a warrant to search for drugs at 9am on February 28.
Two of the men, aged 24 and 25, were later released without charge while the third brother, 20-year-old Sam Williams, was charged with possessing cocaine and amphetamines with intent to supply.
He was also accused of producing the cannabis while his mother faced an allegation of allowing premises to be used for the cultivation of the drug.
Williams was free on licence from a Young Offenders Institution at the time and was immediately ret-urned to custody for breaking the terms of his release.
He admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply, possessing amphetamines and the production of cannabis when he appeared before Wolverhampton Crown Court on July 13 and was ordered to be detained for 32 months.
His mother, who was of previous good character, claimed to know nothing of the drugs and denied allowing premises to be used for cannabis production but was convicted by a jury.
She was remanded on bail for pre-sentence reports until this week when Judge Martin Walsh made her the subject of a two-year community order.
He told her: "You turned a blind eye to this drug factory.
"However, you are of previous good character."
