Monday, June 10, 2013

Big Brother star Josie Gibson’s grandmother, 72, jailed for supplying cocaine after 12 years on the run

Diane Gibson, 72, grandmother of Big Brother winner Josie Gibson, was sentenced to more than four years in prison today for drugs offences
Diane Gibson, 72, grandmother of Big Brother winner Josie Gibson, was sentenced to more than four years in prison today for drugs offences
Big Brother star Josie Gibson was in court today to see her grandmother jailed for more than four years for drug offences.
The reality TV personality, who changed her outfit before returning to the court this afternoon, joined other members of her family at Bristol Crown Court to see Diane Gibson, 72, sentenced to four years and three months’ imprisonment.

The grandmother had been on the run for more than 12 years having been convicted in 2000 at Bristol Crown Court of possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

Gibson had been originally arrested by police in 1998 at a motorway services with 2.9kg of cocaine - with a street value of £240,000 - in the boot of her car.

She had been bailed to return to court for sentence but failed to appear and remained at large, living in the north of England away from her family.

Police arrested the pensioner in April this year at her daughter's home in Yate, South Gloucestershire, and today she returned to court to be sentenced.

Jailing the great-grandmother, Judge Geoffrey Mercer QC said: 'I sentence you on the basis you were a courier of this amount of cocaine.

'I take into account your age and I treat you as a person of good character and I take into account what I have read about your health.

'This is not the easiest of sentencing exercises but in my judgement the very least sentence which is appropriate for an offence of possession of cocaine with intent to supply is one of four years’ imprisonment.'

The judge also sentenced Gibson to an additional three months’ imprisonment to run consecutively for being at large for the last 12 years.
Big Brother star Josie Gibson outside court today
Josie Gibson outside Bristol Crown Court this afternoon
Big Brother star Josie, 28, wore two different outfits to court today to watch her grandmother be sentenced
As the judge outlined the case against Gibson, the pensioner shouted from the dock: 'I never done that.'
Family members, including Miss Gibson, shouted from the public gallery: 'Thank you, thank you' after the judge finished his remarks.

DAILYMAIL

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