Client Receives Suspended Sentence in Complex Conspiracy to Supply Class A (Oxycodone)

We represented a vulnerable woman of good character for conspiracy to supply class A drugs over a period of nearly a year. This was a complex conspiracy involving the supply of oxycodone via Telegram, the secure communications application, and Reddit. This client chose to seek the assistance of Phoebe Coleman on a private basis, despite her entitlement to legal aid representation.

The facts of the case began with the death of a drug user and the examination of his phone by police. Police uncovered messages on the app “Telegram” and a drugs “Channel” supplying oxycodone. They were then able to find messages evidencing supply from accounts connected to our client on Telegram and Reddit. We analysed a mass of prosecution evidence and found there were only a handful of occasions on which the Crown was able to show a clear supply of the drugs from our client, despite the length of time and sophistication of the operation that was alleged.

She had pleaded guilty at her first appearance, obtaining full credit, and we worked on a detailed basis of plea which set out the difficulties she had faced, the limited supply she accepted, and pointed to deficiencies in the Crown’s case.

Our client had suffered severe domestic abuse and a severe brain injury. Between the emotional and physical trauma, she had developed an addiction to painkillers and was pressured by her dealer into selling the drugs to support her habit. She was a single mother caring for her son, and trying to manage persistent pain and mental health issues. We went to great lengths to show that while in retrospect, she accepted the negative impact of supply, at the time she felt she was helping others in her own situation, who too felt alone in battling addiction.

We analysed a mass of bank statements in an effort to show she had not benefited from criminal activity. We considered and served extracts from hundreds of pages of medical records to substantiate her issues physical and mental health issues, and immigration records showing the abuse she had suffered from her ex-husband.

We took a witness statement from a drug user she supplied, who confirmed our client had been caring and had been victimised by the dealer she worked for. We submitted evidence showing that she had, before the offending, sought help on online Reddit forums about safely tapering or otherwise coming off oxycodone. She had also made enquiries with private rehab which she had been unable to afford.

The offending was portrayed by the prosecution as a sophisticated long-term operation, however, our basis and submissions pushed the Crown to understand that her offending had simply mirrored the practices of the dealer pressuring her to sell drugs, and had been limited to a small amount of customers.

Though the Crown did not accept our basis of plea, we made representations as to deficiencies in their response, which had not properly addressed the issues we had raised. We provided further evidence to support our position. The Crown’s sentencing note agreed with our own submissions, meaning they accepted the core tenets of the basis in essence: she did not have a leading role, nor anyone working for her, and she supplied to help fund her own drug habit.

As a result of our work pre-sentence, and excellent advocacy from Counsel Alexandra Monaghan, of Crucible Law, our client received a sentence of 20 months suspended for 2 years, with supervision condition. Our client was overjoyed to learn that she would be home with her son at Christmas, and was grateful for our assistance and the opportunity to recover from such a difficult part of her life.

Our client said:

"Phoebe, Alex and Natasha I cannot recommend enough. I was in a difficult situation and had never navigated through the criminal justice system before so to say overwhelmed and scared was an understatement. They were empathetic to my needs specifically my mental health. They made me feel at ease I was getting the best representation I could and I feel went over and beyond what was expected from them. Outstanding service and team."

Her family said:

“I am incredibly grateful for the outstanding support and professionalism that Phoebe Coleman from Sonn Macmillan Walker provided during my family member's case in the Crown Court. From the initial consultation, she displayed a thorough understanding of the legal issues involved, offering clear, insightful advice that reassured us throughout the process. Her attention to detail, compassionate approach, and dedication to our case were apparent at every stage. Thanks to her expert representation, my family member achieved the best possible outcome despite it being an uphill battle to achieve this result. I believe another solicitor would not have worked as hard as Phoebe and her team to overcome so many hurdles and succeed by providing the outcome we wanted. I wholeheartedly recommend Phoebe Coleman and Sonn Macmillan Walker to anyone seeking legal assistance.”

Phoebe Coleman was the Solicitor with conduct of this case, assisted by paralegal Natasha Hardaker. Alexandra Monaghan of Crucible Chambers was instructed Counsel.