‘Victim’ stashed violent dealers’ hoard

2:50pm Friday 4th July 2008

A WOMAN who was bullied into stashing the hoard of two drug pushers has been spared a prison sentence. Victoria Roberts, 34, was forced by violent dealers into taking 1.49kg of amphetamine into her home and keeping it safe for them.

Prosecutor Geraldine Kelly told York Crown Court how she managed to persuade them to move it elsewhere, but when she discovered that they were then using a 17-year-old boy as their warehouse keeper instead, she knew she had to act.

Despite being terrified of the dealers, who had threatened both people, she had the drugs moved back to her own house. Then she went public.

“She attended where she worked – Westfield School – and told another member of staff, in a distressed state, that she had been bullied into keeping drugs at her house by two people she couldn’t stand up to any longer,” said Miss Kelly.

The school phoned police and officers found the drug at her home in Bramham Grove, Chapelfields. Roberts has since left York. She pleaded guilty to possessing amphetamine with intent to supply. She wept as the Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst, pictured, told her: “I am quite convinced you found yourself in a Catch-22 situation. There are highly unusual factors in your case.”

He gave her a community order with 18 months’ supervision, but warned: “You are not the first person who has been exploited by drug dealers and I don’t think that you will be the last. Those who warehouse drugs are of course shielding drug dealers from discovery by the authorities and very often courts have to harden their hearts.”

Last Friday, Jonathan Matthew Hibbs, 33, formerly of York, was jailed for five years for warehousing £14,000 of heroin. It was his second lengthy prison term for storing drugs.

Miss Kelly said the amphetamine was worth between £11,975 and £14,900 on the streets. Roberts had no previous convictions.

For Roberts, Sarah Booth said she had suffereed a “catastrophic” childhood.

Ms Booth said: “She has been a victim all her life and has developed a victim mentality. She cannot say no to people and she seeks approval of people who certainly did not require her approval or that of anyone else.”

* A 17-year-old boy from west York, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was ordered to do 100 hours’ unpaid work in February after admitting possessing the amphetamine with intent to supply.

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