A Liverpool soccer star’s jail nurse daughter who lived an ‘extravagant’ way of life funded by her drug kingpin boyfriend she met behind bars has prevented jail – after the choose stated the connection ruined her life.
Georgia Harkness, 27, began seeing Salford drug vendor Ashley Blackett after they met in jail, whereas he was serving time and he or she labored as a jail nurse.
Harkness, the daughter of former Liverpool footballer Steve Harkness, had Blackett’s child and helped him proceed to run his prison empire whereas he was behind bars.
Blackett, who was final month jailed for 12-and-half years, organized for cash to be despatched to the jail nurse so she might splash out £34,000 on designer garments, £13,000 on jewelry and drive an Audi A5.
Harkness tried to cover the extent of her involvement by refusing to inform police her cellphone’s PIN quantity, however they finally cracked the machine and found incriminating materials.
Jail nurse Georgia Harkness, 27, has prevented jail after residing an ‘extravagant’ way of life funded by her drug kingpin boyfriend Ashley Blackett who she met behind bars
Ashley Blackett, who was final month jailed for 12-and-half years, organized for cash to be despatched to the jail nurse so she might splash out £34,000 on designer garments, £13,000 on jewelry and drive an Audi A5
Harkness, who was supported at court docket by her father – who performed greater than 100 video games for Liverpool within the Nineteen Nineties – prevented jail after a choose stated she had no earlier convictions, she takes care of her younger youngster and dominated that she might be rehabilitated.
‘Ashley Blackett has ruined your life, to a big extent,’ Choose Nicholas Dean KC instructed her.
‘Although you’re clever you appear to be utterly blind to Ashley Blackett’s true character.’
Manchester Crown Court docket heard that Harkness offered a personality reference for Blackett at his court docket listening to, and that their relationship seems to be ‘ongoing’.
‘He professes, little doubt, to look after you and love you, however he has used you,’ the choose continued.
‘It’s not for me to attempt to persuade you to desert that relationship, however all people who’s near you recognises that Ashley Blackett is a really unhealthy affect on you. He’s a profession and dedicated prison.’
The court docket was instructed that she and Blackett, 35, first met in 2017 at HMP Risley in Warrington. She grew to become pregnant together with his youngster throughout a quick spell when he had been launched.
Harkness is the daughter of former Liverpool footballer Steve Harkness (pictured)
Blackett’s brother Wesley Blackett, and his right-hand man Christopher Taylor (pictured) equipped cocaine and heroin on the skin on Blackett’s behalf
He was later recalled to jail and directed drug dealing from his jail cell utilizing unlawful telephones. His brother Wesley Blackett, and his right-hand man Christopher Taylor, equipped cocaine and heroin on the skin on Blackett’s behalf.
Investigators poured over Blackett’s monetary data and located that Harkness had despatched him greater than £1,000 throughout a 9 month interval in 2019, through his jail fee system.
She purchased him costly designer garments and he paid for presents which he despatched her, prosecutor Joe Allman stated. She was additionally concerned in cash laundering by transferring funds into totally different accounts, he stated.
Mr Allman stated that Harkness was ‘residing means past her means’ and indulging in ‘extravagant’ spending. When police went to her residence, they discovered £34,000 price of designer garments, and jewelry price £13,000.
Financial institution data confirmed she had bought gadgets from designer shops together with Tessuti and Flannels.
Mr Allman stated there was proof to point out that Blackett had paid for her hire each month, though he was behind bars.
Steroids price £2,000 had been additionally discovered in the course of the search. Harkness was arrested in July 2020. She refused to inform the police her PIN however they independently gained entry to it.
Harkness, from St Helens, pleaded responsible to possessing prison property, transferring prison property, possession with intent to provide testosterone, a category C drug, and failing to adjust to a piece 49 by not telling police the PIN quantity to her cell phone.
‘You’ve got pleaded responsible to critical offences,’ Choose Dean instructed her throughout Friday’s sentencing listening to.
‘You come from a very good constructive and supportive household. You describe your self as a very good nurse, I’ve little doubt you had been.’
Her mom stated that if Harkness had not met Blackett she ‘would by no means have grow to be concerned in criminality’, the court docket heard.
However the choose instructed the defendant: ‘You have to have recognised that what you had been doing was mistaken.
‘You have to have recognised that you just had been supporting Ashley Blackett in his illegal exercise. It could be to a sure extent you loved the life-style he facilitated for you, I don’t know.
‘It’s arduous to grasp why you continued in behaving the best way that you just did.’ Harkness was sentenced to 2 years in jail, suspended for 2 years, and was ordered to hold out 10 rehabilitation exercise requirement days.
She’s going to face an extra listening to underneath the Proceeds of Crime Act later this 12 months, the place prosecutors will search to claw again her ill-gotten positive factors. At a separate listening to final month, Ashley Blackett was jailed after pleading responsible to conspiring to provide Class A medicine and possessing a cell phone in jail.
Christopher Taylor, 34, of no fastened abode, was jailed for seven years, and Wesley Blackett, 37, of North George Avenue, Salford, was jailed for five-and-a-half years. Each males admitted involvement within the medicine conspiracy.
