St Helen Auckland man concealed criminal money in network of accounts

Christopher Taylor, 49, was convicted in March of a money laundering offence said to have taken place between January 2014 and September 2019, in which he used the accounts of some family members and friends in County Durham to conceal large sums of what the Crown claimed was ill-gotten gains.

But Durham Crown Court was today (Wednesday October 18) told that £241,576 of the total went into the defendant’s own bank account.

Bogus businesses were invented, including a dog selling trade, to purport to account for the source of some of the money.

While complex financial inquiries were taking place to investigate that offence, a restraint order was put on Taylor’s bank account and banking in general.

But the court heard he then set up a further account in his name, in breach of the order, into which a total of £34,604 was paid by way of illegally-claimed benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Read more: Spennymoor man among five accused of helping to launder drug money

The court was told but for the fraudulently claimed benefits the account would have been overdrawn.

While still subject to inquiries, Taylor was then said to be the local figurehead in a "county-lines" conspiracy to bring cocaine to County Durham from the Leeds/Bradford area of West Yorkshire, between September and November 2021.

Although he was not involved in the travel to the agreed pick-up point in a car park near a fast food outlet, pub and petrol filling station in West Yorkshire, investigations into telephone contact with his two men “on the ground” revealed he was behind the arrangements for the drug consignment collection.

Read more County Durham stories from The Northern Echo, by clicking here

Ian Mullarkey, prosecuting, said the inquiries followed the police stop of a Skoda Octavia car, between junctions 56 and 57, on the A1, on November 18, 2021, in which two other County Durham men, 'couriers' Todd Franey and Keith Johnstone, were travelling northbound.

The car was taken to Darlington Police Station where a search uncovered a cling film wrapped block of compressed white powder, weighing 987g, which upon analysis was confirmed to be cocaine hydrochloride, of 41-per cent purity.

Phones of both arrested men were examined, revealing regular contact with Taylor in the period leading up to the day the drugs were collected.

The messaging was said to indicate it was not the first such collection of a drug consignment in the preceding two months.

Attempts to contact both men by Taylor ended the morning after the police stop of the Octavia.

Mr Mullarkey said while the two accomplices played a “significant role”, Taylor, “clearly had a management function within the chain”, certainly at the County Durham end, with all three expected to receive, “a significant financial advantage”, from their activities.

Franey, 34, of Hazel Drive, Hesleden, received a 70-month prison sentence and Johnstone, 41, of Maude Terrace, Bishop Auckland, received a 75-month jail term, after late admissions to a joint charge of conspiracy to supply a class A drug, when the trial took place at the court, in May.

Taylor maintained his not guilty plea and was convicted after the three-day trial.

He was previously also found guilty of a charge of conspiracy relating to the money laundering between 2014 and 2019, following a ten-day trial at Newcastle Crown Court, which ended in March, during which he gave no evidence and provided no defence statement.

Two other people convicted in that case, one also after trial and another by way of a guilty plea, are to be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court at a later date, while a further co-accused has yet to stand trial due to health issues.

Two other alleged accomplices were cleared of the conspiracy.

Taylor admitted the benefit fraud charge on the day it was due to be heard at trial at Durham Crown Court in August, when he was said to be suffering with a medical condition which would have prevented it going ahead, had it remained a contested hearing.

All the cases were adjourned for sentence today by Judge Jo Kidd, who presided over the two trials at Durham.

Derek Duffy, for Taylor, said there was no evidence that the money involved in the laundering case was made from drug dealing, while the evidence in the drug conspiracy was limited to one pick-up, in which he claimed his client played, “a significant role” rather than, “a leading role”.

Judge Kidd said it appeared that Taylor went to some lengths, setting up, “a significant network” of people through which he could launder money, even inventing bogus businesses.

She said: “As the prosecution opening statement said, he was the ‘spearhead’ of an arrangement to use family members and other individuals to conceal the proceeds of criminal activity.”

But she said throughout the period of the offences in which Taylor was concerned, there was, “a pattern of re-offending”, in breach of a restraint order and while his previous activities were subject of investigation.

She imposed a six-year sentence for the money laundering offence, to be added to a ten-year sentence for the drug supply conspiracy, making up the 16-year total term, to which a 16-month sentence for the benefit fraud was made concurrent.

Taylor was also made subject of a Serious Crime Order, which Judge Kidd said was, “in light of the significant nature of your money laundering”, putting constraints upon his activities on his release from prison, while he is subject of crime proceeds inquiries to be resolved at a future hearing.

Read next:

Ferryhill street robber is jailed for alleyway incident

Ex-serviceman ran harassment campaign on Sacriston neighbour

Shildon man breached restraining order, attacking 'ex' in home

Take advantage of the latest flash sale offer for each new Premium Plus subscription for The Northern Echo, of £5 for five months, which runs until October 18, by clicking here

Speaking after the case, Detective Sergeant Andrew Hartley, of Durham Police’s economic crime unit, said: “This has been a long-running inquiry involving different teams from across Durham Constabulary.

“Today’s outcome is a demonstration of our commitment to investigate not only organised criminals involved in the supply of controlled drugs and associated money laundering, but also those who support them and to target their assets”.

None of the above trials could be reported at the time due to restrictions, which were lifted by Judge Kidd, following an application by The Northern Echo, at the outset of today's sentencing hearing.