Mum caught trying to flee home... with her son's drug stash

An 'impulsive' mum was caught trying to flee her home with her son's drugs stash in the boot of her car.

Joel Lawler had been stopped by officers while dealing drugs from his Mercedes in Southport, Merseyside, in October 2020.

When his mum, Gemma Morris, was tipped off about his arrest she acted "in a moment of madness" and attempted to drive away with a safe containing cash and drugs which he kept at home, a court heard.

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Officers who were on their way to search Lawler’s Ormskirk home caught her pulling off the driveway as they arrived at the property, Liverpool Echo reports.

Michael Stephenson, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that officers found two wraps of ketamine on Lawler when they searched him on October 31, after receiving reports of a suspicious activity by a man in a Mercedes.

"They asked if he had any further material and he produced more wraps," Mr Stephenson said.

A total of eight wraps of ketamine, as well as four wraps of cocaine, 1.5g of MDMA and £550 was recovered, while Lawler’s phone was said to have been “extremely active”.

While on their way to search his home on Derby Street, Lawler admitted that there was a safe containing "more drugs and cash" at the property, the court heard. Morris was pulling away from the house in her car as they arrived.

Mr Stephenson said a "nervous" Morris admitted she had a safe in the boot of the car, which was found to have £3,565 and more drugs inside it. She said she had collected from the defendant’s room after receiving a call from his girlfriend, the court heard.

Lawler, now aged 20, was linked to 65g of ketamine, 14g of cocaine and 5g of MDMA in