£70,000 found at Switch Island after grandad pulled over by police

Paul Fleming said "there won't be a third time" after he was caught

A grandad says "there won't be a third time" after resorting to working within the drugs trade once again. Paul Fleming was unmasked as a criminal courier for the second time in a decade when more than £70,000 of cash was discovered hidden inside his car at Switch Island.

The army veteran was then also found to be "minding" a quantity of heroin worth up to £13,000 in his flat. It came after he was apparently subjected to "intimidation and pressure" to return to his old ways, having previously received a sentence of nearly 10 years for transporting illicit class A substances in 2016.

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Thursday, that Fleming's Nissan Duke was stopped by Merseyside Police at the western endpoint of the M58 at around 2pm on October 16 2023. Officers then discovered a total of £73,970 in cash stashed beneath the floor of the boot.

Iain Criddle, prosecuting, described how this led to a further search of the 60-year-old's then home on Washington Parade in Bootle, where three bags of heroin weighing a combined 217g and worth between £8,600 and £13,000 were discovered in his kitchen. Fleming's role was said to have been that of a "courier of cash" who was also "minding the drugs in question".

He has a total of 20 previous convictions for 28 offences, dating back to 1979 and including a sentence of nine-and-a-half years for conspiracy to supply class A drugs in December 2016. Mr Criddle said of this: "On that occasion, again, he was a courier of drugs, and a quantity of drugs was recovered from him. But, on that occasion, there was evidence that he was responsible for being the courier of a large amount of drugs on more than one occasion."

Anthony O'Donohoe, defending, told the court: "He has prostate cancer, anxiety, depression and irritable bowel syndrome, significant medical conditions which will make custody much more difficult for a man of his age rather than a young, fit man. He has secure family relationships, two boys, two grown men, and five grandchildren.

"As a result of his actions, he has lost his tenancy. It was a secure tenancy where he had some support. In recent years he has been on benefits, but he has a good work record. He joined the army. He was in the Parachute Regiment. He hopes to receive some support from army charities upon his release.

"He is getting too long in the tooth now to be involved in this sort of thing. He knows that, if he were to repeat this type of activity, he will stray into minimum sentence provisions. He has said that there won't be a third time. He has shown some genuine remorse.

"There was a degree of pressure placed upon him. The other side of that coin is that those who run with wild dogs run the risk of being bitten. Nonetheless, there was pressure to perform these functions because of his previous involvement."

Fleming admitted possession of heroin with intent to supply and possession of criminal property. Wearing a khaki green North Face coat in the dock, he was jailed for 39 months.

Sentencing, Judge Stuart Driver KC said: "The prosecution say that you were what is called a minder of the 217g of heroin and a courier of £73,000 in cash. The aggravating feature is that you have a criminal record of convictions, in particular, in 2016, you were convicted of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and given a long sentence.

"That background must increase the sentence passed today. In mitigation, it is accepted that there was a degree of intimidation and pressure placed upon you. You are in poor physical health, with prostate cancer and other condition. Your mental health is not good, with anxiety and depression."