A mum enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and bought designer clothes whilst running her boyfriend’s cocaine business – whilst he was in prison.
Jamey-Leigh Brook-Parkinson, 27, was in constant contact with her partner, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who instructed her on how to operate the lucrative drug operation.
In the messages, he told her how much money to pay into bank accounts, where to pick up deals and even how to go about establishing a new business for when he was released, Manchester Crown Court heard.
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In one exchange of messages they spoke about ‘building our empire’, to which she replied they would ‘smash it’.
Brook-Parkinson, of Swinton, also sent him images of perfume bottles filled with cash, with the caption: “My little stash box”.
During the conspiracy, her mother Wendy Brook, 47, began dealing cannabis to her ‘circle of people’, and messages between the mother and daughter showed she too was involved.
Brook-Parkinson pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and Brook, also of Swinton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply B drugs.
Today (July 12) Brook-Parkinson was jailed, but her mother walked away from court with a community order.
Couple set up cocaine business – while he was in jail
Prosecuting, Henry Blackshaw told the court that Brook-Parkinson and the man were in a relationship and were messaging through text, Whatsapp and other apps backwards and forwards whilst he was remanded from 2019.
An investigation was launched after one of his ‘lieutenants’ was arrested for possession of class A drugs, the court heard.
As part of the investigation, it became clear to the police that Brook-Parkinson was involved through telephone contact by initially moving his money around for him.
“The early messaging recovered in relation to Jamey-Leigh Brook-Parkinson’s contact with [him] relates to the clearly very well established drugs operation, moving of monies and the passing on of messages to cause damage to people’s property who are owing money,” Mr Blackshaw said.
“There was discussion about the physical accumulation of cash as well as making bank payments.
“Also the spending of large amounts of sums on designer clothes and the sending of it to custody for him and on his behalf – as well as designer clothing being bought for herself.”
The court heard that Brook-Parkinson was assisting in relation to the supplying of cocaine as he was ‘finding it difficult’ to run the operation from inside custody.
“The two of them together began to set up a separate cocaine supply business, with his instructions on how to set up the new cocaine supply plan,” the prosecutor said.
“He was instructing her on how to establish the business and search for revenue as well to coincide with his release from custody in August 2020.
“In the messages they talked about payments and suggested paying money to people who were clearly working for him.”
The court heard that in one message she sent a photo and said: “My little stash box”, relating to a Yves Saint Laurent perfume gift box which she uses as a container for the cash she accumulated on his behalf.
Officer’s also discovered images of bank card details for customer’s making payments for drugs as well as evidence of the movement of money through bank accounts.
Prosecutors said her boyfriend ‘entrusted her with the knowledge’ of handling the cash.
Throughout the conversations, there was evidence of Brook-Parkinson buying him Valentina trainers worth £500 on his behalf, as well as references to her ‘picking up dough’ for him.
In one conversation, she asked: “Did you have a slug”, meaning a line of cocaine, and he responded by sending a photo of a line of white powder from his cell, the court heard
He went on to instruct Brook-Parkinson to move the cash and split it, he also asked her to pick up £600 from Bolton as well as do a drop off.
It was said that he suggested moving the conversation onto Wickr, an encrypted messaging app, rather than speaking over text.
He is due to stand trial in January next year for drugs offences.
“On 9 June 2020, he instructs her on how to proceed with deals of cocaine, and spoke of the setting up of a new cocaine business,” Mr Blackshaw said,
“He told her they would ‘build our empire’ and she said they would ‘smash it’.
“She said she had been promoting the business on Snapchat and Instagram.”
Mum got involved in the drug business
The court was told there were also discussions on how to secure the cocaine after a supplier fell through.
There was further messaging between Brook-Parkinson and her mum, wherein she told her to make sure she writes down ‘what’s been had and what’s left’.
The prosecutor said there was evidence of drugs being supplied in the contents messages, including one message referencing a customer coming for a ‘smoke’.
There was also a discussion about her mum’s beautician business and ‘her partner putting money through it’, the Crown suggesting as a front for money laundering.
Brook-Parkinson also sent an image to a friend of expensive clothing in the original bags on the bed, and when asked how much it was, she said £3,380.
Following her arrest on June 16 last year, police recovered 14.37 grams of 81% purity cocaine, as well as 27 resealable bags all containing white powder, just under 9 grams.
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Both Brook-Parkinson and her mum were said to have no previous convictions.
In mitigation for Brook-Parkinson, Richard Vardon told the court that she was acting at his ‘behest’ and under his ‘behalf’.
He suggested their relationship ‘wasn’t equal’.
“She is a young woman with young children, she is obviously very fearful of the consequences of her actions and stupidity,” he said.
Mitigating for Brook, Rachel Shenton said her client’s involvement was limited to ‘low level dealing’ to a small number of associates, which funded her own cannabis use.
Sentencing Brook-Parkinson, the Recorder of Manchester, Judge Nicholas Dean QC, told her: “You would not be in trouble today, or before this court if not for your relationship with him.
“What you did, I am certain, is you acted out of affection for him and loyalty to him, and he is a manipulative man.
“That having been said, looking at the evidence on the messaging, it showed a young woman volunteering herself in serious offending at a relatively high level in drugs.
“You organised his business at his behest on his behalf whilst he was serving his sentence in custody.
“You did so, not just out of affection and loyalty to him as misguided and stupid as that is, but also because you enjoyed the benefits and advantages of money you generated by the business.
“You enjoyed having designer clothing and you enjoyed the lifestyle you were living.
“I don’t simply accept the trope when you were involved that you were harming your children, you were caught up in events and no don’t simply were not thinking of them and the potential effects on them of the behaviour you were involved in.”
Brook-Parkinson, of Brightsmith Way, was jailed for three years.
Brook, of Malcolm Avenue, was sentenced to a 12 month community order, 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirements and 100 hours of unpaid work.