Woman denies knowing chocolate box contained drugs

A large police cordon was in place in Grimethorpe during searches in May 2024

A woman accused of storing amphetamines in a Maltesers box in her fridge has insisted she thought it was filled with chocolate.

Lesley Claughton, 59, is on trial at Doncaster Crown Court alongside her ex-husband Ian, with both accused of several drugs and firearms offences.

Jurors previously heard police found the controlled substance in Mrs Claughton's Barnsley home along with several weapons and £26,000 in cash hidden inside her sofa in May 2024.

She denies bringing a realistic imitation firearm into Great Britain, possessing Class B drugs with intent, possessing criminal property and being concerned in the production of Class B drugs.

Jurors were told Mrs Claughton lived next door but one to her ex-husband on Brierley Road in Grimethorpe.

The court previously heard Mr Claughton's home had been rigged up with booby traps in the style of the Home Alone film.

At the hearing on Tuesday, Mrs Claughton said she had been away from her property for two weeks when she was arrested in Skegness on 8 May 2024.

Mrs Claughton claimed she knew there had been a box of Maltesers in her fridge, but said it had contained chocolate when she left the property.

She insisted she had "no knowledge whatsoever" about the drugs, adding: "I didn't put amphetamines in a chocolate box that I willingly let the children go and get chocolate from."

Vanessa Saxton, defending, said no DNA from Mrs Claughton was found on the chocolate box, but it did contain a match for her ex-husband.

Asked by Judge Graham Reeds KC why she thought the drugs were being stored at her house, Mrs Claughton said her ex-husband had told her his fridge was broken.

She admitted storing cash for her ex-husband inside her sofa, but said she believed the money, which she had sorted into £1,000 bundles, had been obtained from the sale of stock from his former auto electrics business.

Mrs Claughton told the court: "He has always been a businessman. He always deals in cash."

Police evacuated a number of properties in the area during the police operation

The court heard an air weapon and a crossbow were both discovered next to Mrs Claughton's bed, but she denied any knowledge of why they were there.

She admitted she had previously taken delivery of several items on behalf of family members, including some "toy guns" which had been intercepted by Border Force officials.

Mr Claughton has pleaded guilty to bringing a realistic imitation firearm into Great Britain, being concerned in cannabis production and possession with intent to supply amphetamines and cannabis.

He denies three counts of possessing prohibited firearms, along with charges of possession of criminal property and possession of explosive substances.

The trial continues.

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