THREE women who lived a lavish lifestyle by spending thousands of pounds made from serious and organised crime have been sentenced.
Ellie Tobin, also known as Helen Hartley, her mother Ann Hartley and Kathryn Walker went on extravagant holidays, drove expensive cars, purchased designer clothing and watches and resided in new build properties.
The women were assisting the ringleaders of an organised crime group by moving thousands of pounds of cash generated through illegal drug supply into numerous bank accounts.
The ringleaders, brothers Alan and John Tobin, ran a smooth and profitable criminal organisation until detectives from the Cheshire Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit began three operations into their customers from 2016 to 2018.
This involved targeting Lee Stoba, Anthony and Leon Cullen and Jamie Oldroyd – codenamed Operation Bullfight, Operation Samurai and Operation Dreadnought respectively.
The women were arrested and charged – along with Alan and John Tobin, Robbie Broughton, Simon Leech and Brian McQuillan – after warrants were executed on September 9, 2020.
All three women appeared before the same court this morning, Thursday, to be sentenced after pleading guilty to charges of possessing criminal property.
Nicola Daley, prosecuting, explained to the court how a complex investigation was conducted into the finances and roles of the women from 2016 to 2020.
It led detectives to discover they were living well above their means.
Ellie Tobin, 34 and of Regency Park in Widnes, was married to Alan Tobin and lived with him in properties in Warrington and Widnes.
The marriage took place during the indictment period and took place in Lake Garda in the Italian lakes.
She spent between £120,000 and £150,000 of money profited from his supply of cocaine, and from March 2016 to March 2019, she paid £220,344 in cash into one bank account.
Her bank statements showed £29,000 of the money was spent on luxurious holidays abroad, flights and hotels to Dubai, Thailand, Ibiza, Norway and a cruise in the Caribbean, while £6,000 was also spent on designer items and jewellery over two years from 2016.
Police also discovered calls from her phone directly purchasing drugs internationally, contacting a number in Columbia on 30 occasions, as well as calls to members of the organised crime group operated by her husband.
The court heard how she has two previous convictions for eight offences, one during the indictment period for fraud, for which she received a suspended sentence.
This involved claiming council tax benefit on the grounds that she was living alone, but was in fact living with Alan Tobin.
Her mother Ann Hartley, 62 and also of Regency Park in Widnes, was declared as earning £700 a year.
However, an investigation into her bank accounts showed £97,000 profited from the wholesale supply of cocaine was paid into her account from January 2016 to April 2018.
The money was then transferred into Ellie Tobin’s account and used to purchase the house on Regency Park.
Ann Hartley has a previous conviction for possession with intent to supply cocaine after being stopped at Warrington Bank Quay station in November 2012.
She had a train ticket to Glasgow, where she was to deliver the drugs and collect cash.
The court heard how Walker, 36 of Chamomile Close in Liverpool, was John Tobin’s partner.
Her bank account was used to deposit nearly £157,000 of cash from January 2016 to January 2020.
Records showed she paid £830 each month for a rental property, however there was no evidence of employment wages.
A warrant executed at her partner’s address in Liverpool established the pair were living an extravagant lifestyle, as four Rolex watches with a total value of £80,000 were found along with designer clothing and jewellery.
Walker also used the money profited from the criminal enterprise to rent a property in Portugal, buy a BMW X6 worth £60,000 and travel to the Canary Islands, Dubai, Thailand and Spain from April 2016 to February 2017.
She has a previous conviction for shoplifting offences as a youth in 2002.
Ms Daley said that the trio must have known or suspected that the money being deposited into their accounts was being generated through criminal means.
Ellie Tobin’s defence barrister told the court of her client’s emotional stress, particularly in protecting her two young children, to which judge Garrett Byrne said: “The best way for her to protect her children would have been not to get involved in the first place.”
She told the court that her client had been drawn in ‘slowly but surely’, and only knew what was happening in the latter stages.
She asked the judge to hand down a high-end suspended sentence, which would allow Tobin to ‘pick apart’ her offending and learn lessons from it.
Jo Maxwell, defending Ann Hartley, told the court that her ‘loyalty and devotion’ to her family allowed the activity to continue.
She also explained how she cares for an elderly relative on a daily basis, assists Ellie Tobin with childcare and is deemed by the probation service to be a low risk of reoffending.
Before sentencing, judge Byrne said: “During a period of four years and nine months, you all enjoyed lavish lifestyles due to the criminal context of John and Alan Tobin.
“You had times when you knew or suspected where the money was coming from, but you were all too prepared to turn a blind eye.”
Ann Hartley was sentenced to 20 months in prison suspended for two years and ordered to complete 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 80 hours unpaid work.
Walker meanwhile was sentenced to 16 months in prison suspended for two years. She was also ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 80 hours unpaid work.
Turning to Ellie Tobin, judge Byrne said: “Your several previous convictions demonstrate what a greedy person you can be.”
He continued: “The court must consider if your sentence can be suspended. Taking all matters into account, I am not persuaded you have a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.
“You blame others and fail to take any responsibility whatsoever. You continue to deny your offending and unrealistically blame your husband for the position you find yourself in now.
“I’m very aware that you have two young children and they have already lost their father to a lengthy imprisonment, which is why the sentence is significantly reduced to keep their time apart from you to an absolute minimum.”
Ellie Tobin was sentenced to nine months in prison.
Following the sentencing, DI Rob Balfour, from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: “Money and greed are the driving force of organised crime.
“We will always investigate people that cause misery in our communities and showcase a lavish lifestyle.
“All three women knew where the money was coming from and they took full advantage of it by spending it on lavish holidays and goods.
“They reaped the rewards of the organised crime group, led by family members who were making their money from their extensive drug dealing all over the UK.
“These women could not legitimately make the money they wanted or needed to live the lifestyle they quickly became accustomed to, so turned a blind eye to where the money was coming from and just continued living the high life.
“Ellie Tobin’s prison sentence should be seen as a warning that if you do not face up to what you have done, you risk prison.
“Kathryn Walker and Ann Hartley admitted responsibility and their sentences were suspended.
“Ellie Tobin, even after pleading guilty, continued to blame others and tried to distance herself from the criminality.
“This, coupled with a conviction for council tax fraud during the conspiracy period in which she attempted to save money on her council tax while the organised crime group were at their height, meant she now faces a period in custody which may have been avoided if she had faced up to what she had done at an earlier stage.”
The investigation team will continue with a financial investigation with the aim of recovering all assets that have been funded by this criminality, and the trio will appear back before the court for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing later in the year.
DI Balfour added: “I would like to thank and praise the small team that has completed this investigation.
“Their dedication to obtain and present the evidence of this extremely complex case has been incredible.
“The sentencing from both trials and eventual guilty pleas from all defendants is testament to the level and quality of evidence that was obtained by our investigators.
“We are committed to recovering money and assets obtained through criminal enterprise, and I would urge any member of the community that thinks that anyone has far more money than they should to please report it to the police.
“We will investigate and we are committed to recovering cash or assets from criminals. The recovered money will ultimately be returned into local communities to support local projects.”
If you have information, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or Cheshire Police on 101.
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