A WOMAN aspiring to become a police officer has seen her dream come to an end after being involved in the supply of drugs at Creamfields.
Scottish couple Dylan Neilson and Carly Fay were actively involved in organising the sale of illicit substances at the event.
The dance music festival is staged annually in Daresbury, with tens of thousands of revellers attending from across the country.
However, every year the court sees cases of those who foolishly try to sell drugs there – with many being locked up.
Drug amnesty bins are placed at the entrances and posters are up warning those who try to enter what will happen should they be caught.
Cheshire Police and event organisers spend large sums of money to police the event to ensure it can go ahead safely, without the presence of illegal substances.
Both 29-year-old Neilson and 25-year-old Fay appeared before Chester Crown Court recently for sentence.
The former admitted possessing cocaine and MDMA at Creamfields with intent to supply it to others, as well as possessing criminal property.
Fay meanwhile pleaded guilty to counts of being concerned in the supply of ecstasy and cocaine at the festival.
The facts of the case were outlined by Paulinus Barnes, representing the prosecution, who explained how the offences were committed on August 28, 2022.
Authorities spotted the pair acting suspiciously, with a search of Neilson finding him to be in possession of the class A controlled drugs, on his person and in the couple’s tent, as well as £13,000 in criminal cash.
Incriminating messages concerning Fay in the supply of the drugs were also found on her mobile phone.
It has previously been said that Chester Crown Court has to deal with between 60 and 90 Creamfields cases every year, with the need for a stern message to be sent out.
Carly Fay and Dylan Neilson were sentenced at Chester Crown Court
One judge said: “Cocaine and ecstasy are class A drugs for good reason – they are seriously dangerous.
“People have died from their use, and recently I saw a man who had a hole in his nose as he had sniffed so much, and it had turned to powder. Goodness knows what it is doing to your insides.”
Another said: “Selling or attempting to sell class A drugs at a festival is an extremely serious matter.
“They are supplying potentially dangerous and lethal drugs to people of whom they know nothing. The consequences can be, and sadly in many cases are, tragic.
“It is a fact of Creamfields festival that those entering carrying drugs are given every opportunity to get rid of them in amnesty bins.
“They know the consequences can be desperate, because there are signs and posters warning attendees that people have been caught before and sent to prison.
“Cheshire Police invests heavily to ensure the preservation of order at the festival, so that law-abiding festivalgoers can have a good time in a safe environment.”
Neilson, of Rowan Court in Moodiesburn, near Glasgow, was handed 30 months immediate imprisonment by recorder Anthony O'Donohoe, presiding over the hearing.
However Fay, of Collessie Drive in Glasgow, was given an 18-month custodial sentence, but this was suspended for two years for reasons including her being pregnant.
There are no additional requirements of this order, however she was also told she must pay a fine of £750.
Both will appear back before the court later this year for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing to determine how much, if any, of their ill-gotten gains they must repay.
Following another recent Creamfields drug supply sentencing, a spokesman for Cheshire Police said: “Police, along with event organisers and security staff, work extremely hard to ensure that Creamfields remains a safe and positive experience for all festivalgoers.
“We have seen the irrevocable damage illegal drugs can cause, particularly during the festival period, and those attempting to smuggle them into the event will be put before the courts and dealt with accordingly.”
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