A judge slammed a mum who flew out to Turkey for a £4,000 cosmetic procedure after claiming she was in a £5,000 drug debt.
Chantelle Straughan, 31, insisted she had ‘no choice’ when she caught trying to transport nearly £12,000 of cocaine to clear her debt adding that she feared for her children’s welfare.
But then she popped off to Turkey for a lip job while waiting for the court to deal with her.
Judge Amanda Rippon, at Teesside Crown Court, told her: “You say you owed £5,000 to someone and this offending was a way of getting rid of that debt. I cannot comprehend what was going on in your mind- spending thousands of pounds on a cosmetic procedure. It is irresponsibility of the highest order.”
Straughan previously admitted possession of a class A drug with intent at an earlier hearing, on the basis that she acted as a courier only, which was accepted by the prosecution.
She was caught with 147g of cocaine when officers searched her vehicle on March 2. The mother-of-two questioned officers: “I didn’t know that was in the car! Where was that? .”
Straughan claimed she had been travelling to Hull when she “got lost” and turned off the A19 southbound. Officers pulled her over and searched her VW Golf on Brookfield Avenue in Middlesbrough, reports Teesside Live.
On Monday, August 17, Judge Rippon revealed that Straughan had in fact been driving to visit her boyfriend at HMP Hull that day. The judge also noted that Straughan’s bail conditions had previously been amended to permit her to travel to Turkey.
“I hear she decided to be vain – that she went for a lip job or similar. And she’s going to try and persuade me, through you, that she’s poverty-stricken and that she focuses on her children?” the judge questioned Straughan’s defence barrister, Sophie Johnstone.
“Her self-esteem was pummelled into the ground,” Ms Johnstone responded. “That’s no excuse for going to Turkey for this procedure. She needs help.”
The defence barrister explained that her client’s “finances are all over the place” and that she “made a mistake” in obtaining the cosmetic surgery. The court was told that Straughan receives universal credit and was reluctant to request assistance from her parents when she accumulated debt.
“I would ask for one last chance,” Ms Johnstone said, requesting that her client be given a suspended sentence. “She is being evicted from her address as a result of these proceedings.”
Judge Rippon addressed Straughan directly: “Your boyfriend is in HMP Hull. You’re now a convicted drug dealer. You have two boys. You will be their world. Their world. The men that you choose to associate with will influence them. Your behaviour will influence them.”
The judge stated she was suspending Straughan’s prison sentence for the sake of her children, instructing her: “You move forward with them in mind.”
Straughan, from Scholars Road in Sunderland, received an 18-month prison term suspended for two years. She must complete 30 rehabilitation days and undertake 120 hours of unpaid work.
“If you come back in front of me for breaching this order,” the judge continued. “I will lock you up to protect your boys. If you come back to my court, bring a suitcase.”