A 52-year-old woman has been spared an immediate prison sentence for laundering over £50,000 for her husband and son, who operated a gun conversion and drug dealing business from an illegal traveler site. Sarah Roberts admitted to moving illicit funds through her bank accounts between January 2023 and April 2024.
Roberts was handed a suspended sentence after a judge cited current prison overcrowding. Her husband, Hizekiah Roberts, 49, and her son, John Parker, 29, are awaiting sentencing in December for their roles in the operation. The family was arrested on April 2, 2024, when police searched a Ford Transit van used by the men at a site on Church Road, near Romford, Essex. Inside the van, authorities discovered firearms in various stages of conversion, ammunition, and tools.
Investigators found that the husband and son were involved in converting imitation firearms into functional weapons and in the supply of Class A and Class B drugs. Proceeds from these activities, totaling £53,515, were deposited into accounts belonging to Sarah Roberts. The court heard that these criminal enterprises operated from both a family home and the illegal traveler site.
Police seized 3.5kg of amphetamines worth £35,000 and drug dealing equipment from the family home. The van, described as a "mobile armory," contained 14 firearms, including a submachine gun and two semi-automatic handguns, along with nearly a kilogram of MDMA valued at nearly £40,000. Cell site evidence linked both Hizekiah Roberts and John Parker to the site.
Hugekiah Roberts has a history of convictions, including ram-raids and injuring police officers. John Parker was on license at the time of his arrest, having previously been jailed for burglaries. Both men have extensive criminal records.
During sentencing, the judge stated that Sarah Roberts was a "willing conduit" for the proceeds of the family business and likely knew about the firearms and drugs, deliberately choosing to ignore the activities. Her defense argued misplaced loyalty and cultural pressures, but the judge found the evidence against her overwhelming. She received a three-year prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for concealing criminal property, along with a requirement to complete 30 days of rehabilitation and 120 hours of unpaid work. The judge emphasized that the unpaid work was a form of punishment and a way for her to contribute to society.