Acquitted of possession of £68,000 of criminal property
Our client was found with £68,000 in bank notes in the cab of his lorry.
He was accused of being in possession of criminal property ie that he knew the cash was a benefit from criminal conduct. The prosecution case was that he must have known that such a large amount of cash, being transported in the way it was (rather than, for example, being the subject of a bank transfer), was criminal property.
Our client had been a driver for 10 years and said he had conveyed goods from Poland to the UK on many occasions. He would often take items for friends and family. On this occasion he took back a package for a friend, wrapped in three plastic bags. He had no knowledge of what was the bag, he never looked inside it and never asked what the contents were.
Our client was found not guilty at Southwark Crown Court. Rachel Hobba was his solicitor and Sarrah Kerslake his advocate.
