Former English footballer caught in drug smuggling own goal
A former footballer from Liverpool confessed he deeply regrets smuggling drugs from Thailand after quitting the professional game to allegedly look after his cancer-stricken grandparents. The former Tranmere Rovers footballer was arrested by immigration police while transferring through customs at Manchester Airport.
Jamie Kilcourse, returning from a holiday in Bangkok with friends, was stopped by Border Force officers upon arrival at Manchester Airport on October 8 last year.
Carrying two heavy suitcases, he initially claimed they were packed by him and denied holding them for anyone else. However, the truth quickly unravelled when officers discovered 64 vacuum-sealed packages of cannabis weighing a staggering 38.78 kilogrammes.
In a moment of clarity, the 21 year old confessed to a court yesterday, January 15, that he hadn’t been honest.
“I didn’t pack the suitcases.”
The court heard how Kilcourse had left his budding career in League Two football behind to care for his cancer-stricken grandmother and grandfather.
“My mum and dad couldn’t afford to take time off work, so I stepped down from my career.”
Despite a life clear of substance abuse, Kilcourse sought solace in Thailand after the death of his grandmother and his parents’ split.
“I was mentally not right. I went with my mates to take some time and get my head off things.”
The former footballer then found himself intertwined with a friend’s drug debt, which he took upon himself to settle.
“My mate’s only 18, and I felt responsible to take it on. Looking back, I should never have got myself in it. I deeply regret that.”
While Thailand, Kilcourse found himself pressured by some Scouse lads who were supposedly owed money. Mistaking a suitcase full of drugs for money, Kilcourse agreed to transport it, unaware of its content.
Kilcourse maintained that he received “not one penny” for his trouble and expressed feeling “sickened” upon realising the gravity of the situation.
Suspended sentence
His barrister, Katie Walden, highlighted Kilcourse’s remorse and potential for rehabilitation, advocating for a suspended sentence.
“He wants to go back to playing football or coaching,” she said, urging for a sentence that was not “a get out of jail free card.”
Manchester Evening News reported that Judge Timothy Smith handed Kilcourse a ten-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, alongside an order to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and participate in 10 days of rehabilitation activities.
“You are somebody a lot of people speak well of,” the judge remarked. “Do not be tempted to involve yourself in this again, because you know what the consequences are.”
Kilcourse’s tale serves as a cautionary reminder of the dangers of poor decisions and misplaced loyalties, leaving the ex-footballer with much more than a red card on his record.
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