Hollyoaks star Chelsee Healey watches as her partner is jailed over boutique cannabis' operation
Chat logs showed Edward Rainford talking about money and different flavours including Oreo Cookie, Orange Cream and Wedding Cake.
Hollyoaks star Chelsee Healey watched on in court as her partner was put behind bars for his part in a "boutique cannabis operation".
Edward Rainford, 32, and co-defendant Jay Boyd, 28, appeared at Manchester Crown Court for sentencing after they both pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis between November 2022 and September 2023.
Healey, 36, who has also appeared in Waterloo Road and Dancing on Ice, has been in a relationship with Rainford for four years. The couple also have a child together.
The court was told how Rainford and Boyd's actions were uncovered during an operation by Greater Manchester Police to tackle the supply of Class B drugs, Manchester Evening News reports.
Gwen Henshaw, prosecuting, told how, on July 7, 2023, the pair were observed in a branch of Costa Coffee in Monton, Salford. A police officer overheard them discussing "taking 33 per cent", "the next sum", "a 4.5", "it's a risk" and "doing it off their own back".
A warrant was then executed to search a property on Grasmere Road, Swinton. Boyd's fingerprints were found along with a small quantity of cannabis, a "list of debtors" and small bags, "the kind used for 3.5 deals of cannabis".
Boyd was also seen driving past the address during the search, and his phone number was also disconnected from the network a short time after.
On September 4 the same year, Boyd was seen driving in Monton, alongside Rainford. They were pulled over by police and arrested on suspicion of separate offences.
Both were taken to Wigan police station while their cars were searched and mobile phones examined. A search of Boyd's address on Cheetham Road found a sum of cash, a vacuum sealer and a small amount of cannabis worth between £145 and £205.
The court was told, however, that it was the data from their mobiles which revealed that they were not just using the drug, but "playing roles" in "their own boutique operation".
The phone evidence included images of bundles of money, with metadata from one matching the address of Rainford's family home. Chat logs showed the pair talking about money and different flavours including Oreo Cookie, Orange Cream and Wedding Cake.
They exchanged contacts, and sent videos to each other showing "different strains of cannabis" with "close-ups of the product" to show off its "quality and structure". On August 13, Rainford sent Boyd a voice note saying: "I think I've got a quick one for us if you're interested". Another exchange showed one requesting a video of the "Gorilla Glue" strain to "forward on".
The court was also told of a conversation during which Rainford appeared to refer to a debt he owed. According to the prosecution, the sum of these findings was evidence of the duo "working together in order to sell cannabis".
Ms Henshaw said: 'They make contact with customers arranging supply of different strains. Messages suggest that they are keeping some strains in stock.
'The fact that they are arranging meeting places shows they are aware of the seriousness of what they are doing.'
She added the pair had a "leading role" in "organised buying and selling of cannabis on a commercial scale", with "substantial links in a chain". She said: 'This was not a massive enterprise, but there were numbers of other people involved. There are people buying from the defendants and selling on for distribution.'
Mark Friend, mitigating for Rainford said the actions had "financial advantage in mind' but told the court it 'lacked many of the hallmarks of sophisticated, professional drug dealing".
He added: "There were no encrypted telephones – the messages and exchanges were not difficult to access. Messages referring to Rainford's debts show him as a cog in an over-all supply chain. There were clearly people far above him, doing far more.
'I am not seeking to undermine the seriousness of the offending – his decision making was flawed in the extreme and he must be punished. But the reference to organised crime is rather a grand title. I submit that he played a significant role only.'
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The court was told Rainford had served in the Army for nine years. Mr Friend added: "He gave good service to this country."
Judge Peter Horgan responded: 'I think that defence was used on a previous occasion. There is only so much you can draw from the same well.'
Rainford has previous convictions for criminal damage, assault and violence, the latter of which he was imprisoned for in July 2019. Upon his release in 2022 he was said to have been "anxious to build himself a life".
Mr Friend said: 'He is not scared of hard work and earning a living. There is a good prospect of him moving into paid employment after release. He has entered a relationship that is still ongoing, in which he has a child and step-daughter.
"He is supported by family and friends today who I think would say that there is another side to him as a responsible, decent man who can live a life away from offending.'
He was still on licence at the time of his arrest in 2023, and initially pleaded not guilty to the drugs charge in December last year, before admitting to the offence in January.
Representing Boyd, Tanya Elahi said the offending"lacked sophistication", adding: "They did not use a business as a cover or abuse a position of responsibility".
She told the court he was now a trained air conditioning engineer, self-employed since November 2024 due to his release on unconditional bail after he was arrested and pleaded guilty.
She added: 'He accepts the severity of the offending and is remorseful for his actions. He himself calls them a stupid mistake and is glad to have turned his cheek.
'He was unemployed then and struggling financially. He is living at his mother's home and signed up for universal credit. He has not been in trouble since this offence. This was one lapse in judgement.'
'A lapse in judgement does not occur over a period of many months,' the judge interrupted. 'That is the difficulty.'
Judge Horgan said he "entirely agreed" the duo's activities amounted to "a boutique operation". He told them both: 'It was a serious operation, in which you had a contact above and below you. This ensured that you were able to buy and sell significant amounts of cannabis to make money, which is what this was all about.'
"You were working together, buying and selling large quantities and arranging a supply of a variety, suggesting you kept strains in stock. The images recovered suggest a lucrative operation. But I accept that this was not sophisticated organised crime."
Addressing Rainford, the judge agreed he had an 'impressive' military career before ending up in prison. He added: 'You were released in July 2022 and, for reasons which are beyond me, you then became involved in this.
"You let your family down and left your partner to raise two young children. You plan to move in with her and continue with the business that you set up with your father. I recognise your difficulties with your mental health and those that you have as a result of your service to this country.
'You had a management role in this operation. You did involve others and you did expect to make financial gain, and were aware of the scale. This was not a lapse in judgement - the scale of time is important to me. It took place over many months.'
Rainford, of no fixed address, was sentenced to two years behind bars.
Speaking to Boyd, the judge said: 'You were unemployed at the time of the offence and involved yourself in criminality actively, for the first time in your life, purely for financial gain.
'I have about this but find the only appropriate method of punishment can be immediate custody. I don't believe I would be acting in accordance with my public duty otherwise.'
Boyd received a sentence of one year and six months.
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