Whitchurch home used as safe place
A man whose home was used as a “safe place” for criminals involved in supplying drugs in Shropshire has avoided going to prison.
The case is linked to a major conspiracy involving leading player James Humphries who was jailed earlier this month. He was behind a sophisticated mobile phone enterprise titled “Mo” that was used to sell heroin and cocaine wraps in a 'buy one, get two' deals to addicts in Shrewsbury and Whitchurch.
At Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday Paul Watton, 34, was sentenced for his role in the set up after pleading guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs in 2016.
Miss Siobhan Collins, prosecuting barrister, said: “He provided a safe place for the Mo group to use. Such locations are vital in supply cases such as this.
“The evidence in terms of Watton starts on March 30, 2016 and by then this conspiracy was up and running viably in the county.”
She said telephone records show that the defendant, who at the time lived at the Old Barn, in Whitchurch where he was arrested, was in contact with another man. When detectives swooped on the premises wraps of heroin and crack cocaine were seized along with a set of electronic scales and cutters.
In his police interviews Watton at first denied any knowledge of the conspiracy before finally admitting the charges on the basis that he was a drug user who was taken advantage of.
Mr Andrew Holland, mitigating for Watton, said: “He was clearly not like the others involved who ultimately befriended him, sold him drugs as a customer and used his accommodation.”
Sentencing him at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Friday Judge Peter Barrie said: "
Watton, now of Cordwell Park, Wem, was jailed for 18 months suspended for two years with requirements to attend 40 rehabilitation activity days, to attend drug rehabilitation for six months, he must carry out 80 hours unpaid work in the community and attend thinking skills sessions.
Watton, who has links to Herefordshire, has previous convictions dating to 2008 including for for dishonesty, possession of cannabis, and driving offences.
Humphries, 23, of Liverpool, was sentenced to eight years and three months imprisonment earlier this month for conspiracy to supply drugs.
The network came to light during a police investigation into a 'turf war' between rival Merseyside drugs gangs in the Meole Brace area of Shrewsbury in 2016.
While West Mercia detectives were unravelling the operation Michael Warham, 16, of Liverpool, was fatally stabbed on the estate during a confrontation between rival groups. In 2017, Humphries’ cousin Declan Graves, 21, was jailed after a retrial for a minimum of 20 years for the murder of Michael.
