A grieving great-grandad was exposed transporting a £150,000-worth of cocaine after being stopped on the M6 near Penrith for speeding.
Robert Martin, 73, wept as he was spared immediate prison by a judge who noted the pensioner’s remorse and how he had provided vital childcare following a shocking family tragedy.
Carlisle Crown Court heard Martin was halted as he headed north, near Junction 40 on May 19 by police who saw him going too fast.
“Police became suspicious that he was very nervous,” said prosecutor Brendan Burke.
Officers searched the vehicle and found 1.75kg of high purity import standard cocaine inside a drawstring bag in the boot.
Martin, of Lapwing Close, Liverpool, admitted possessing the class A drug with intent to supply — an offence which usually carries an immediate prison sentence.
But defence barrister Kim Whittlestone suggested an exceptional course of action could be taken by the jail term being suspended.
Martin’s family had been torn apart by the brutal killing of his granddaughter several years ago in Liverpool. He had since provided huge support to relatives by caring for his great-granddaughter.
But amid financial and personal struggles he also foolishly accepted a chance to earn £400 by making the journey.
“He took that opportunity and bitterly, bitterly regrets it,” said Miss Whittlestone. “This is a man who can clearly be rehabilitated.” The barrister added: “He is also a man who is of great support to other members of his family at what has been the most horrific time.”
Concluding that Martin could be rehabilitated, that there was strong personal mitigation and that there would be a significant harmful effect on others if he was jailed, Judge Nicholas Barker suspended a 24-month prison sentence for two years.
Martin must complete a rehabilitation requirement and a four-month electronically monitored night time curfew.
But Judge Barker admitted the sentencing exercise had been a difficult equation to balance, and said: “It was a reckless risk you took and you were caught out.”
He added: “The transportation of significant quantities of class A drugs throughout the land is a very serious business indeed.
“Those drugs would have been broken down, diluted and put on to the streets, bringing misery to many who then become addicted; who steal; whose relationships break down. You have played a part in that.”
