Lisa Scotney, 56, gave Shaun Wilkinson £73,000 to set up the operation at the luxurious farmhouse in affluent Hockley, West Midlands
A professional gambler whose winnings financed a secret drugs factory in a rented £2million mansion is facing jail if she fails to repay almost £200,000 of her ill-gotten gains.
Lisa Scotney, 56, gave Shaun Wilkinson £73,000 to set up the operation at the luxurious farmhouse in affluent Hockley, West Midlands.
The gated property, which is set on an 11 acre area and has its own indoor pool, was rented for £3,750-a-month.
The property’s garage block was immediately turned into a nursery for cannabis plants.
Scotney, Wilkinson and drugs expert Edward Ambrozewicz transferred the growing plants to the six bedrooms, kitchen and gym of the sprawling farmhouse.
When police swooped on the property in March 2017, they found 103 plants and dried cannabis – together worth £33,000.
Scotney, who was part of a poker group called the Hendon Mob, was a familiar fixture at Midlands casinos. She entered poker tournaments under the name Nicky and wore a blonde wig.
A source told the Mail she could make up to £20,000 a night. ‘She became so prolific that some of the casinos barred her, or limited her bets’, the insider added.
The gated property, which is set on an 11 acre patch and has its own indoor pool, was rented for £3,750-a-month
Scotney, Wilkinson (pictured right) and drugs expert Edward Ambrozewicz (pictured left) transferred the growing plants to the six bedrooms, kitchen and gym of the sprawling farmhouse
Scotney, of Walsall, West Midlands, admitted conspiring to produce cannabis and was handed a two year suspended sentence and 240 hours of unpaid work at Warwick Crown Court in June 2019.
She was spared jail for the sake of her young twins when the cannabis gang were sentenced.
She was hauled back before court on Thursday for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing – where police attempt to claw back money made through illegal activity.
Judge Peter Cooke said Scotney had pocketed £190,944 from her crimes and ordered her to repay the money within three months or face two years in jail.
Judge Peter Cooke said Scotney (pictured outside court in 2019) had pocketed £190,944 from her crimes and ordered her to repay the money within three months or face two years in jail
The court heard she could be forced to sell her home after it was revealed she had assets totalling £406,912.
Wilkinson, 51, of Birmingham, was given an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years, and 240 hours of community service.
The court heard he received £73,135 from Scotney, including the £3,750-a-month rent for the mansion.
Judge Cooke said he earned £125,627 from the crimes but had assets totalling £30 which he was ordered to pay within three months.
Ambrozewicz, 57, of Willenhall, West Mids, was sentenced to 21 months, suspended for two years, and given 100 hours of community service.
A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing has not been announced for him.
At Scotney’s 2019 sentencing hearing, Ian Speed, representing Scotney, told the court his client had been ‘financing Wilkinson, not the cannabis’, and had merely lent her best friend money to get him back on his feet after he had suffered a broken neck.
The judge told Wilkinson and Scotney: ‘This was a thoroughly criminal enterprise in which you both enthusiastically joined in.
‘I’m satisfied that you both played leading roles.’