How many at Middlesbrough Council were involved?
Is this the reason mad decisions are made by MBC?
Could ALL the MBC New Visions be coke driven?
Tees housing boss accused of cocaine supply
Sophie Barley, Evening Gazette Mar 21 2012
A DIRECTOR of a Middlesbrough housing organisation supplied cocaine to her friends - including work colleagues, a court heard.
Susan Thompson, director of operations at Fabrick, received text messages from Erimus Housing staff - including managing director Christine Smith - allegedly asking to be supplied with drugs, jurors were told yesterday.
Fabrick is the parent firm of Erimus Housing, which oversees Middlesbrough’s 12,000-strong social housing stock.
Thompson is on trial at Newcastle Crown Court and has denied a charge of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
The 44-year-old is accused of being a social user of cocaine, supplying friends socially.
Her mobile phone was examined by police following her arrest in February last year.
A series of text messages from it were read out in court yesterday. They were from friends, including some colleagues.
The prosecution alleges the texts were about cocaine.
One was from Mrs Smith. It mentioned some shoes and shopping she had bought and concluded: “Are you putting an order in for next week?”
Thompson said the “order” was referring to an order of wine as the pair were attending a work event the following week.
Another message, from Erimus communications officer Helen Sturdy read: “Can you stop my order for the weekend please. I need to save some cash.”
A reply from Thompson read: “No problem, God you are sensible. Do you want to share one rather than a whole one?”
Thompson, from Dipton, County Durham, said this was an order for alcohol as they were attending a party that weekend.
Thompson said: “She was pulling out of the alcohol order. Not drugs.”
Another text, sent at a later date from Ms Sturdy read: “Just been thinking, could you let me know the next time you put an order in? I might partake.
“I didn’t save money for long, did I?”
Thompson told the court this “order” was referring to Kamagra, a stimulant drug which has similar effects to Viagra.
The defendant said she often gave friends the legal drug.
Tony Hedworth, prosecuting, accused Thompson of refusing to give the PIN number of her phone to police following her arrest.
Thompson admitted she didn’t give the number and when asked why, said: “As there was personal photographs on the phone that I did not want showing round the police station.”
Mr Hedworth said there were no personal photographs on the phone.
“What was in fact going on was that you were delaying letting the investigators see what was on your phone as you were concerned what eventually happened would occur,” he added.
“There were texts on your phone that demonstrated that you were passing on drugs to your friends.”
The defendant responded: “That is not true.”
Thompson’s police officer husband Paul Thompson, 42, also denies a charge of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, as well as conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, and three counts of possessing cocaine.
Mr Thompson, a detective sergeant for Northumbria Police, admits he took cocaine.
The court heard that when Mrs Thompson was arrested her house was searched and traces of cocaine, as well as plastic bags and scales were found in her bedroom.
She denied ever taking drugs and said she did not know that her husband had a cocaine habit.
She said she had never seen drugs in her house.
Mrs Thompson spoke in detail about her job at Fabrick. She told the court she has worked there for 12 years and receives around £5,000 to £6,000 a month.
Also standing trial are Brian Thompson, 50, of Ponteland; David Wood, 51, of Silver Lonnen, Newcastle; and Steven Wood, 48, of Thornhill Road, Ponteland.
They have admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. However all three deny conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office.
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