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| Stephen Lawrence suspect Neil Acourt jailed over £4m drug plot | Stephen Lawrence suspect Neil Acourt jailed over £4m drug plot |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man who was previously a suspect in the Stephen Lawrence murder case has been jailed for more than six years over a £4m drugs plot. | A man who was previously a suspect in the Stephen Lawrence murder case has been jailed for more than six years over a £4m drugs plot. |
| Neil Acourt, of Eltham, south-east London, was described as the "man at the top" of a scheme moving huge amounts of cannabis to the North East. | Neil Acourt, of Eltham, south-east London, was described as the "man at the top" of a scheme moving huge amounts of cannabis to the North East. |
| The 41-year-old, also known as Neil Stuart, was arrested in relation to the racist attack on Mr Lawrence in 1993. | The 41-year-old, also known as Neil Stuart, was arrested in relation to the racist attack on Mr Lawrence in 1993. |
| He was jailed for six years and three months for conspiracy to supply drugs. | He was jailed for six years and three months for conspiracy to supply drugs. |
| 'Spliffs' | 'Spliffs' |
| Five other men were also sentenced at Kingston Crown Court over the plot, while another man who was caught with 100kg of cannabis resin in his van was jailed at a previous hearing. | Five other men were also sentenced at Kingston Crown Court over the plot, while another man who was caught with 100kg of cannabis resin in his van was jailed at a previous hearing. |
| The two-year conspiracy involved numerous journeys from London to the South Shields area to deliver drugs and collect cash. | The two-year conspiracy involved numerous journeys from London to the South Shields area to deliver drugs and collect cash. |
| The judge Recorder Paul Clements said Acourt had been at a very high level in the plot with others reporting to him. | The judge Recorder Paul Clements said Acourt had been at a very high level in the plot with others reporting to him. |
| He said the conspiracy involved a concerted effort to move large amounts of cannabis "that in any estimation would have kept the people of the Newcastle area in spliffs for many a long day". | He said the conspiracy involved a concerted effort to move large amounts of cannabis "that in any estimation would have kept the people of the Newcastle area in spliffs for many a long day". |
| 'Believe the negativity' | |
| Acourt was described as a "buffer", handling over a dozen bundles of cash, ranging from £15,000 to £40,000 each, in return for 2.5% of the money. | |
| Jonas Milner, defending, said Acourt "genuinely" regretted what he did, adding he was now a family man. | |
| "Perhaps one of the problems with you is that, for various reasons, you have heard too much negativity about you and begun to believe the negative publicity about you," Recorder Clements said. | |
| "Perhaps it's time to walk away from that aspect of your personality and whatever or whoever it is controlling those parts." |