10,000 messages were found on a mobile phone – the ‘vast majority’ linked to drug supply
Nicola Downes and Timothy Downes(Image: Hull Live)
Police discovered that two hard-up cousins were involved in potentially lucrative secret drug dealing after suspicious officers stopped a car and found a “golf-ball-sized” haul of high-purity cocaine in the pocket of one of them. The police uncovered 10,000 messages on a mobile phone and the “vast majority” of them were linked to drug supply.
Arrangements for a trip to Bradford to collect drugs had been discussed on the day that they were arrested, Hull Crown Court heard. Timothy Downes, 49, and his cousin, Nicola Downes, 43, both of Derwent Crescent, Howden, admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply on June 27, 2024.
Harry Bradford, prosecuting, said that, at 2.25pm, police in an unmarked car spotted a Peugeot 207 on the A614. They pulled the car over and carried out a search.
When police asked Timothy Downes if he had any drugs, he replied: “In here” and gestured towards his trouser pocket. There was a golf-ball-sized bag of cocaine in his pocket.
The cocaine that he had with him weighed 27.4g and had a purity of 83 per cent. The potential street value was £2,240. Timothy Downes later claimed that the cocaine was for his personal use and that he bought it in bulk.
He denied dealing drugs or sharing them with others. Mobile phones were seized from both of them but they each refused to provide the PIN. Nicola Downes admitted driving her cousin to Bradford but she denied knowing that the trip was for collecting drugs, although she conceded that she could have guessed it. Messages included discussions about sharing drugs with friends.
There were 10,000 messages on her mobile phone, the vast majority of them concerning the supply of drugs. They included references to collecting drugs from Bradford on the same day that the pair were arrested.
“There was an expectation of significant financial advantage,” said Mr Bradford. They each had convictions for one previous dissimilar offence.
Ayesha Smart, mitigating, said that Timothy Downes had shown genuine remorse and he had pleaded guilty. “He has remained out of trouble since this offence was committed,” said Miss Smart.
“He has made positive strides in turning his life round. He was a user of cocaine at the time but he has now been clean for 12 months. “Alcohol was also a trigger for his offending. He has reduced his alcohol consumption as well. He is a low risk of reoffending.
“He has demonstrated that he can come off drugs and reduce his alcohol consumption.” He lived with his cousin and he was a construction worker.
Jazmine Lee, representing Nicola Downes, said that she pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was now in a very different place from where she was at the time of the offence. She had been in a “tumultuous relationship” at the time and her then partner got them into more debt.
The money that was made went towards running the household, with “nothing extravagant” bought. “Thankfully, she has been able to walk away from that relationship,” said Miss Lee.
“She really was desperate, getting involved in this sort of thing. She did it out of desperation and felt she had no other choices. She would never even think of doing it again.
“Her remorse is genuine. She has no previous convictions for drugs. She has made significant strides in the right direction. She has gained employment.”
Timothy Downes was given a three-year suspended prison sentence and 200 hours’ unpaid work. Nicola Downes was also given a three-year suspended prison sentence, but with 10,000 hours’ unpaid work and 15 days’ rehabilitation.
Did you know you can make Hull Live a preferred source of Hull news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here .