A “cowardly and cynical” father-of-two used the home of his ex-partner and his children to stash cocaine with a street value of £9,000. Regan Campbell, from Newport, used Stevie Fletcher’s home for at least three months because he didn’t think officers would look there, Cardiff Crown Court heard on Wednesday.
On March 12 last year officers from Gwent Police carried out a warrant at Stevie Fletcher’s address at Playford Crescent in Newport while no-one was in the house. Minutes later Fletcher, 25, arrived at the property and told police that there was a stash of cocaine in the kitchen.
While carrying out the warrant the officers found significant drugs paraphernalia including weighing scales, sealed snap bags of cocaine, a spoon, a tick list, and a burner phone prosecutor Rachel Knight told the court. Fletcher was arrested at the property and admitted to permitting her premises to be used to keep the drugs. During sentencing Recorder Sean Bradley told Fletcher he was satisfied she played a low-level part in the offending and should have “stood up” to her ex rather than being “weak”.
READ MORE: ‘Cowardly’ father used children’s home to store £9,000 of cocaine
During her police interview on March 12 Fletcher told how she had been in a relationship with Campbell, 24, and he had been visiting the address every day to “weigh stuff”. He would “weigh stuff up” and “see his children”, she admitted. She told officers that he had been using the address since Christmas 2020.
Two weeks after Fletcher’s arrest Campbell handed himself in at Newport police station. Investigations found that he had 151g of cocaine at the house, Ms Knight said. Recorder Bradley said: “This wasn’t just a case of dealing to a few friends. This was a high-value operation.”
In April at the plea and trial preparation hearing Campbell pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine. Ms Knight explained how Campbell has previous convictions in a youth court for battery and sending an offensive message. She told the court that Fletcher is a woman of previously clean character.
Gareth Williams, for both defendants, said he agreed that Campbell had a higher culpability role and Fletcher a lower culpability role. He said both of his clients had “glowing character references” which added to the surprise at how the couple had found themselves sitting in the dock together.
Mr Williams pointed out that Campbell had no relevant previous convictions and said the defendant was struggling to pay those he owed money to and began embroiled in the “enterprise” because he “wasn’t earning enough money” to pay the debts he’d accrued. “He is full of remorse and sorry for committing the offence,” he said.
“They have been living with this hanging over them for a substantial amount of time. He does a lot of assisting with the children and is a good parent. He does have mental health problems and he will struggle in prison. Ultimately though he knows these types of offences only carry one type of sentence.”
For Fletcher he said: “She should have known better and not turned a blind eye. She is aware that she has committed an offence by allowing this into her home. If she lost her liberty today this would have a horrific impact on her children. She poses very little risk to anyone. Ultimately she has made a very bad decision.”
Recorder Bradley told Mr Williams: “The use of Ms Fletcher’s home concerns me. This was a fairly significant operation going on for around three months and I think they are important factors.”
Mr Williams replied: “Of course the real devil of this is that he has taken this into the family home. He regrets that bitterly. I suspect the drugs officer would say people try to hide drugs in the least likely place others would look.”
Addressing Campbell directly, Recorder Bradley told him: “This was a very high amount of cocaine you were dealing with. I find it particularly cynical and cowardly that you have used her home and your children’s home to store these drugs. Potentially that puts your own children at risk of both of their parents ending up in custody today. I consider this an abuse of trust by you Mr Campbell.”
Addressing Fletcher he said: “It is clear to me that you did know what was going on but I accept your fault here appears to be your failure to challenge Mr Campbell from the start. You were perhaps a little weak in not standing up to this.”
Campbell was handed a three-year jail term of which he'll serve half before being released on licence. Fletcher’s eight-week jail sentence was suspended for 12 months.
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