Woman's DNA was on drugs in car in police compound

Danielle Wilson's DNA was found on the stash of drugs

A car sitting in a police compound was found to contain guns, bullets and drugs, a court heard.

Merseyside Police found them after growing suspicious when several people rang up claiming to own the towed car.

Danielle Wilson, 41, from Liverpool, admitted possessing crack cocaine and heroin after her DNA was found on some of the drugs she had helped to bag up.

She received a two-year jail sentence suspended for two years at Liverpool Crown Court.

Wilson's DNA had been been found on 17 wraps inside both bags.

The court heard there was no evidence to link the mum-of-two to the firearms, and the prosecution accepted her involvement was limited to helping to bag the drugs before they were hidden in the car.

'Production line'

Wilson, of Palace Road, Walton, said she had been paid £100 by a criminal gang to sit in a "production line", tying knots in individual wraps before passing them to another person.

Emily Calman, prosecuting, told the court the Ford Galaxy was brought to the attention of police in Stanley Close, Kirkdale, on 13 April, 2022.

She said: "It was in a poor state of repair. Officers made enquiries and found it was registered to an address in Birkenhead and insured to an address in Shropshire, under different names.

"Police took the vehicle to a compound, and after it was recovered they received a high volume of calls from people claiming to be the owner of the vehicle."

Danielle Wilson said she had been recruited by a criminal gang

The search revealed the guns, a Glock self-loading handgun and a Grand Power pistol, stashed under the bonnet and beneath the boot compartment, as well as ammunition and a silencer.

Also in the boot compartment were two carrier bags containing several thousand wraps of crack and heroin, worth a combined £36,500 and weighing just under a kilogram.

The court heard Wilson had 10 previous convictions, including one for heroin supply dating back to 2007.

'Dirty work'

Kate Morley, defending Wilson, said her client had played a minor role in the activities of the gang, limited to one hour helping bag the drugs.

She said: "At the age of 41, with caring responsibilities, she ought to have known better.

"But the reality is she was used by those more experienced than her, who are very skilled at recruiting vulnerable people to do the hands-on dirty work."

Ms Morley said Wilson had been on bail for nearly two years after her arrest, and had kept out of trouble.

She also said she cared for her daughter, who has cystic fibrosis, and an immediate jail sentence would result in her children losing their home.

Judge David Swinnerton told Wilson she had been "stupid" to get involved with drug dealing again after her previous conviction.

He said: "All that risk for what is in the grand scheme of things a paltry sum."

Judge Swinnerton said he accepted she had no involvement in the firearms, but warned her: "That's the sort of world you are involving yourself in when you agreed to bag up Class A drugs".

He said he had been persuaded that her limited role in the operation, her guilty pleas, a probation report describing her as of "low risk" of reoffending and the impact on her children meant he could spare Wilson immediate custody.

Wilson was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity days with the Probation Service as part of her suspended sentence order.

• Two men have been charged in relation to the discovery of the guns and are due to stand trial in May.