A court heard she claimed she was ‘simply a bookkeeper’ and had no knowledge of the cocaine that was found in her home
A mother kept a secret drugs “ledger” for her son – and recorded cash transactions that he was involved in – as a way of protecting him from trouble because he had already been accused of stealing. Susan Hoggarth claimed she was “simply a bookkeeper” for her son in a murky drugs world in which a major dealer “manipulated many, many people into holding drugs on his behalf”.
The dealer had “multiple runners” and he was friends with Hoggarth and her son, Hull Crown Court heard. Hoggarth, 58, of Bridlington, admitted being concerned in supplying cocaine and possessing amphetamine on November 23, 2022.
Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, prosecuting, said that police were carrying out surveillance, as part of Operation Galaxy, on a man who was known to be involved in drug dealing. Another man arrived in a taxi and left in the same taxi shortly afterwards.
Police went to Hoggarth’s home after seeing the first man go inside there. They searched it and found cocaine and six snapbags in kitchen drawers next to a breakfast table.
Hoggarth claimed that she did not know that it was there. She claimed that she was “simply a bookkeeper, keeping a ledger for her son” so that he did not “fall foul of those he was assisting”.
The knotted bags contained cocaine with a total street value of £8,150. Amphetamine was found and there was a tub containing 7.81g of the drug, with a purity of five per cent. The total street value of the amphetamine was £2,430.
Cash totalling £3,678 was found in a Surf tub. This did not belong to Hoggarth, although a large amount of other money was hers. She later told police that she kept ledgers involving drugs to protect her son as he had been accused of stealing.
She claimed that she had no knowledge of the cocaine that was found in her home. The money in the Surf box was not hers. She admitted that the amphetamine was for her own personal use.
Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that another drug dealer was at the centre of the case. He had pleaded guilty. He had “multiple runners” and he had “manipulated many, many people into holding drugs on his behalf”.
The man was very close friends with Hoggarth and her son and he would come to her house. “She knew that he was involved in criminality,” said Miss Scott.
“She turned a blind eye. She now seems to pity him and feel sorry for him. She knew what she was getting involved in. A custodial sentence would be devastating for her.”
Recorder Geraldine Kelly KC told Hoggarth: “The police searched your home after seeing a male that they had been keeping under surveillance enter it. They found cocaine within the property, a total of 164g with a street value of £8,150.
“You did it to protect your son as he had been accused of stealing. The Surf box with money in did not belong to you. You did not know what it was for. The amphetamine was for your own personal use.”
Hoggarth was given a one-year suspended prison sentence but with no requirements as the probation service did not feel that she needed them. She was warned that she faced a prison sentence if she committed any more offences.