Criminals from Pangbourne, Reading, and Surrey jailed for trying to sabotage major drugs trial
A conspiracy to derail jury proceedings resulted in prison sentences
A group of criminals from Pangbourne, Reading, and Surrey has been jailed for attempting to sabotage a high-profile drugs trial through false accusations and elaborate schemes.
Convicted murderer William Todd, originally from Pangbourne, led the conspiracy from behind bars, aiming to free Danny Brown and Stefan Baldauf, who received 26-year and 28-year sentences respectively in December 2022 for attempting to smuggle 448kg of MDMA valued at £45 million to Australia.
Danny Thomas, 46, from Skylark Way, Shinfield, Reading, and Sheree Avard, 41, from Hammond Road, Woking, Surrey, actively participated in the scheme to discredit the jury proceedings.
In June 2022, false claims were submitted at Kingston Crown Court, alleging jury bribery during their trial.
However, the claims faltered when it was revealed that two of the mentioned jurors were no longer part of the jury.
Thomas gathered information on jurors upon Todd's orders, and Avard was involved in contacting Brown's lawyer with fabricated stories of jury coercion.
They further attempted to solidify their claims by procuring a false deposition from Romania.
Thomas was arrested on 24th November 2022 at Heathrow Airport, where key evidence linked him to the plot, including communication with Todd.
Todd's concealment of a mobile phone in his prison cell further implicated him as the mastermind behind the operation.
Southwark Crown Court sentenced Thomas to three years and four months, while Avard received one year for conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
Todd received an additional seven-year sentence.
The National Crime Agency's Anti-Corruption Unit emphasized the criminals' determination to obstruct justice.
Steve Ahmet from the unit noted the lengths criminals would go to protect their interests.
Nicola Rutter from the Crown Prosecution Service underscored the importance of maintaining the integrity of the judicial process.
Brown and Baldauf's original trial was part of the NCA-led Operation Venetic, targeting criminal networks using the now-defunct EncroChat platform.
Their illegal activities were inadvertently exposed through personal messages, leading to their convictions.