Source: Daily_Mail
John Terry's father escapes jail over supplying cocaine
Edward Terry leaves Basildon Crown Court today after pleading guilty for dealing cocaine. He received a six-month suspended sentence[LNB]England footballer John Terry's father has escaped jail despite admitting dealing cocaine in the toilet of a wine bar.[LNB]Edward Terry, 56, supplied three wraps of the class A drug for £120last year. He was paid £40 for acting as a 'facilitator' in the deal.[LNB]Unemployed Terry, who is known as Ted, said he was 'weakened by drink',having had eight pints before going to the wine bar that night.[LNB]Terry senior faced a maximum of 14 years in prison for drug dealing butwas instead given a six month suspended sentence at Basildon CrownCourt, and ordered to carry out 100 hours community service.[LNB]Visibly relieved Terry, who lives in Chafford Hundred, Essex, noddedand smiled in the dock when he heard he would not be jailed. His courthearing came just before his son flies to South Africa to play in theWorld Cup.[LNB]He escaped a prison sentence partly because he was caught in an 'entrapment' sting by a tabloid newspaper.[LNB]The court heard journalist Dan Sanderson from the News of the Worldnewspaper became a regular last year at the Unit 4 bar in ChaffordHundred - just 200 yards from Terry's £250,000 terraced house paid forby his footballer son.[LNB]The undercover reporter went to the bar up to four times a week for sixweeks to 'befriend' Terry, posing as a chauffeur for a millionairebusinessman.[LNB]At about 5.30pm on Thursday November 5, Mr Sanderson drove two of hiscolleagues to the bar in a £75,000 S Class Mercedes, claiming they werehis boss and another businessman.[LNB]Saying they had 'money to burn', he ordered 'the most expensive brandy' and a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne.[LNB]He chatted to Terry and others about 'nightclub, strip club or lapdancing establishments' he could take the men to. [LNB]The conversation turned to how he would get the men cocaine, and Mr Sanderson asked Terry where he could get some 'Charlie'.[LNB]Terry pointed out someone in the bar, but Mr Sanderson spoke to him butcame back and said a deal was not possible. Terry then suggested theundercover journalist ask the doormen at the club, but was told thiswould not work either.[LNB] Former England captain John Terry with wife Toni [LNB]Paul Scothern, for the prosecution, said: 'Mr Terry said: 'I can supply you, how much do you want?' The reference being to sorting him out in the vernacular.'[LNB]He added: 'He said he wanted three grammes of cocaine, there is some assurance from Mr Terry as regards to the quality being supplied and a fee of £120.'[LNB]Terry went outside briefly to call someone on his mobile, and then returned.[LNB]Mr Scothern said: 'Mr Terry indicated he wanted some payment for facilitating the deal and a sum was agreed of £40.'[LNB]He left the bar again and after just 15 minutes he handed the cocaine over in the gents toilets for £40 a wrap.[LNB]In a film taken by the undercover reporter through a camera in a tie pin Terry boasts the cocaine is 'good stuff' and offers to get a discount from his dealer if he wants more. He asks Mr Sanderson not to tell his 'boss' he bought the drugs from John Terry's father.[LNB]Terry senior has a previous conviction from 2005 for assault, but no previous drugs convictions.[LNB]Neil Saunders, for the defence, told the court Terry was 'slurring' after he had been at a birthday party for a friend that day.[LNB]He said: 'Weakened as he was by the amount of alcohol and dealing with someone he thought, quite wrongly, was a new friend he allowed himself to be suggested to.'[LNB]He added that his regular alcohol consumption, lack of a job and structure in his life may have made him an easy target for the newspaper.[LNB]He said: 'He is embarrassed and ashamed that his actions have brought the sort of publicity on his son that it has.'[LNB]Ordering Terry to pay £95 court costs Judge Christopher Mitchell said it was a 'very, very clear case of entrapment'. [LNB]He added: 'The facts in this case are highly unusual, in fact the offence has effectively been created by the actions of a newspaper sending a journalist to effectively set you up. This is clearly an entrapment case and the only reason it seems that they did this is to create a story because of your family connection with a well-known footballer.'[LNB]John Terry did not attend Basildon Crown Court to see his father sentenced. His father's drugs shame comes just two weeks before the start of the World Cup and is the latest embarrassment for his £160,000-a-week England and Chelsea star.[LNB]The footballer was stripped of the England captaincy after his affair with lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel was exposed. She is the ex-girlfriend of his former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge. As a result, Bridge chose to step down from the England squad.[LNB]Last year Terry's mum Sue, 51, who is separated from his dad, and his mother-in-law Sue Poole, 55, were cautioned for shoplifting.[LNB]
