Woman, 52, who laundered more than £50k for husband and son's gun factory business at illegal traveller site avoids jail due to prison overcrowding

A woman who laundered cash for her husband and son after they set up a gun factory in the back of a Ford Transit van at an illegal traveller site was spared jail because of prison overcrowding.Sarah Roberts, 52, allowed tens of thousands of pounds to be moved into her bank account by her husband, Hizekiah Roberts, 49, and her 29-year-old son John Parker.The family were arrested after police searched the van they kept at the site in Church Road, Noak Hill, near Romford, Essex, on April 2 2024.Police found guns and ammunition in various stages of conversion, along with the tools used in the process, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.She admitted laundering £53,515 through her accounts between January 2023 and April 2024 but she was handed a suspended prison sentence after Judge Sandy Canavan said: 'I have taken into account the overcrowding of prisons at the moment.'Her husband and son will return to Snaresbrook Crown Court for sentencing in December.Roberts, who sports a tattoo of a bulldog on his arm, has an extensive criminal record including a series of convictions for ram-raids.He was part of a gang who targeted cash machines at supermarkets and village stores across Kent in 2007. Sarah Roberts, 52 (pictured), has been spared an immediate custodial sentence after laundering £53,515 for her husband, Hizekiah Roberts, and son, John Parker Hizekiah Roberts (pictured) and John Parker, both with extensive criminal records involving ram-raids and burglaries, ran the drug dealing and gun conversion businessesWhen caught, Roberts drove a car at two police officers, injuring them. Roberts was later jailed for 12 years.Roberts was jailed again in 2019 for his involvement in a series of ATM ram-raids across the Home Counties that caused more than £ 1 million of damage.Parker was on licence at the time of his arrest after he was previously jailed for five years for a series of burglaries.Katie Mustard, prosecuting, said: 'Mr Roberts and his stepson Mr Parker were in conspiracy together to possess and convert imitation firearms into functioning legal firearms and corresponding ammunition.'There was also a conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs. £53,515 of the proceeds were deposited into three bank accounts belonging to Mrs Roberts.'Those criminal enterprises in relation to firearms and drugs were run from the family home in 13 Loom Grove and a second travellers' site in Church Road three miles away.'Havering Council has since ordered all mobile homes and caravans to be removed from the 'unauthorised' site after travellers moved in with lorries and bulldozers on November 28 last year.The family do not live there, but Mrs Roberts 'knew and visited' people in the 'tight-knit community', the court heard.'Police attended both addresses on 2 April 2024, seizing a number of items.'At the Loom Grove address, they found three vacuum-packed clear plastic bags containing 3.5kg of amphetamines worth £35,000, and a vacuum pack machine.They also found several rounds of ammunition and empty boxes from firearms.Officers searched the transit van and found 14 guns, some of which had been converted from imitation firearms, and some new imitation weapons in boxes.The haul included a submachine gun and two semi-automatic handguns, as well as more ammunition and equipment used to convert the weapons, including a vice and drill.Police also found just under a kilo of MDMA worth almost £40,000, with a pill press and other drug dealing equipment in the van.'Cell site evidence connected both Mr Roberts and Mr Parker to the site, with numerous visits over a period just before the search.'Ms Mustard said: 'The Crown's case is that these were two separate businesses, one of which they are dealing in class A and class B drugs, one they are converting imitation firearms and ammunition into the real thing for onward sale.'This was a commercial operation involving at least 29 firearms, that's based on those that were physically available and more empty boxes.'Defending Mrs Roberts, Tom Dunn said: 'A combination of misplaced loyalty, with respect to her intellect, and I suppose general cultural pressures, combined to produce an account that in fact has served her badly in the eyes of the court.'He said she visited the traveller's site for 'unrelated reasons' to see people there.Judge Canavan said: 'If your client wasn't aware of the firearms, that's because she closed her eyes to them. The evidence was overwhelming in both the family home and a location to which she and her family were intimately connected.'The judge described the van as a 'mobile armoury' where the guns were converted and said Mrs Roberts was a 'willing conduit to the proceeds of the family business'.Judge Canavan said: 'Between January 2023 and April 2024 your husband and your son were engaged in the manufacture of firearms and dealing in class A drugs.'I have no doubt that you had a very good idea of what it was they were doing and you deliberately chose to close your eyes to it and put your fingers in your ears.'You knew they were up to no good, and you were willing to let them use your bank accounts.'I accept it was under direction almost certainly from your husband but you were a willing participant.'The evidence against you was frankly overwhelming.'I look to see if there is evidence of any real remorse on your part, the only thing you're sorry for is that you and your family were caught out in what you were doing.'I don't think it was a great show of loyalty on your behalf but an attempt to avoid punishment on your part.'I have taken into account the overcrowding of prisons at the moment that is part and parcel of prison life to see if I can in fact suspend your sentence.'She received three years in prison, suspended for 18 months, for concealing criminal property. She was also ordered to do 30 days of rehabilitation and 120 hours of unpaid work.Judge Canavan said: 'I see absolutely no reason that you should not contribute back to society in some measure for the crimes you have committed and those more significant crimes you have facilitated.'Referring to her health conditions, the judge said: 'She may have a bad back but she manages to look after her parents and her son, she manages to launder money*. I don't really mind if [unpaid work] is an effort for you it should be, it's a punishment.'She has a string of previous convictions for dishonesty dating back to the 1980s, including shoplifting, burglary and fraud by false representation.Parker earlier admitted conspiracy to possess prohibited firearms, conspiracy to convert an imitation firearm into a firearm, conspiracy to possess imitation firearms, conspiracy to possess ammunition without a firearm certificate and conspiracy to possess a controlled drug of class A with intent.He has 17 previous convictions for 29 offences, dating back to his teenage years, including burglary, grievous bodily harm, assault and affray.Mr Roberts admitted conspiracy to possess prohibited firearms, conspiracy to convert an imitation firearm into a firearm, conspiracy to possess prohibited firearms, conspiracy to possess ammunition without a firearm certificate, conspiracy to possess a controlled drug of class A with intent, and conspiracy to possess a controlled drug of class B with intent.He has 12 previous convictions for 31 offences including burglary, grievous bodily harm and possession of class B drugs.They will return for sentence at Snaresbrook Crown Court on December 11.