Rushe trial, day seven: Former Northwich Vics owner 'tempted by the lure of easy money from selling cocaine', court hears

Rushe, 54, of Runcorn Road in Runcorn, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court as the trial entered its seventh day.

The former Vics chairman was joined by co-defendants Mark Fishwick, 46, of Greencroft, in Preston, and Andrew Fetherstone, 47, of Barnard Road, in Manchester.

All three men have denied a charge of conspiracy to supply cocaine, a Class A drug.

Rushe told the court he invested between £300,000-400,000 into Northwich Victoria, which currently plays in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League’s First Division North.

He said the money was made through various properties he had owned along with his wife, who died of cancer.

Rushe resigned as a director in the summer of 2014 shortly after being made subject of a bankruptcy order.

He said he remained working there voluntarily as a consultant, and was responsible for looking for sponsorship.

It was primarily this reason, he said, why he was involved in a meeting between Fishwick and Paul Berry at the Mascrat Manor pub in Warrington on February 27 of last year.

Berry, 47, of Abbey Walk, Preston, Berry, pleaded guilty to his part in the conspiracy at an earlier hearing.

Rushe said he was told Berry was interested in setting up a business in Cheshire, and thought there may have been a possibility of securing sponsorship for Vics.

Two undercover police officers who overheard  the meeting claim to have heard the term ‘four on bail’, a slang term for 'on credit'.

Rushe claimed if this was said it was in reference to Real Madrid footballer Gareth Bale.

Prosector David Potter said it was reference to drugs.

He added: “This was a reference to a commodity; 'on bail or on tick', sold without payment up front for maybe a week or so.”

Rushe replied: “I’ve never had a conversation about drugs.”

The officers also said they overheard one of the men saying there were ’11 in Spain’.

Mr Potter claimed Rushe had contacts in Spain that could smuggle high purity cocaine to England.

He added: “This was your side-line – supplying high-quality, high-purity cocaine to sell at a significant profit.”

But Rushe again denied that drugs were discussed during the conversation.

He told the jury he ‘didn’t take very well’ to Berry from the 'moment he met him', and claims he never spoke to him again after the meeting.

However the prosecution claimed Rushe used a Blackberry phone to communicate with Berry and other conspirators about drug deals.

This phone was never found.

Yesterday Fishwick said he had two numbers for Rushe, though today the former Vics chairman maintained he only had one.

He said: “I only had one telephone at that time, an iPhone.

“I own a Blackberry but I’ve never used it. I can’t use them. I text with my fingers not my thumbs. There is a keypad on it but I couldn’t work it.”

Mr Rushe said he had taken out 14 contracts with Blackberry in 2011 through his business at the time, Karting 2000.

He said eight of the phones were live at the time of his arrest.

During a search warrant conducted at his property in Runcorn Road, a boxed Blackberry was found in the boot of Rushe's car, the court heard.

“It’s never been used,” Rushe said. "I’ve never used a Blackberry.”

However Rushe’s partner Marie Woolstencroft, 39, said he owned a Blackberry when they first met while working for the club in 2010.

She told the jury that Rushe, along with her and four children, owned a Blackberry until they all switched to iPhones three years later.

“He had the old Blackberry, then Jim and others all got new Blackberries.” Ms Woolstencroft said.

“We had Blackberry contracts from 2011 until 2013.”

The prosecution accused Rushe of using a ‘dirty drugs phone’ that was used solely for illegal activities.

Mr Potter said: “I suggest you had a registered phone to speak to others, maybe about football matters, with Northwich Victoria or maybe to Mr Fishwick.

“But you had another phone when you needed to tend to matters that are illegal.”

On Wednesday March 18, 2015, Mr Potter said Berry’s couriers drove to Karting 2000, a karting track in the Gorton area of Manchester.

The track was formerly owned by Rushe, but at the time run by his sons and co-defendant Fetherstone.

The jury heard that Fetherstone was passed a package by the couriers, which he placed up and inside the fleece jacket he was wearing.

The defence claims the package was a television set-top box.

Rushe told the jury that Fetherstone still owed him between £10,000 and £20,000 for the sale of part of Karting 2000.

Mr Potter said:  “You instructed Mr Fetherstone to go out and collect it. He acted on your instruction. These were your drugs.”

Rushe replied: “I have never had any drugs or sold any drugs.”

That morning a number of text messages were exchanged between Rushe and Fishwick, who was at Stroud Magistrates at the time.

Rushe said he knew Fishwick as his son, Reece, had played for Vics.

He also revealed Fishwick had once lent the club £1,000 to pay the players’ wages.

He said Fishwick arranged for a car to be dropped off at Karting 2000 on March 18 so it could be taken to Budge Motors – based around the back of the track – for an MOT.

“Will someone be there around 10 mate?” one message from Fishwick’s phone to Rushe read.

“Yes mate, can you call me when he gets there?” Rushe replied.

The car never turned up.

Rushe told the court he had called the owner of Budge Motors prior to March 18 to let him know of the MOT.

However phone records read in court showed there was no connected calls from Rushe’s phone to the business’ landline or to the owners’ mobile between January and May.

Mr Potter said Rushe's claim had been ‘demonstrated as a lie’.

He claimed Rushe was ‘tempted by the lure of easy money from selling high purity cocaine’, and had instructed Fetherstone to pick up the drugs.

“You wouldn’t get your hands dirty,” he added.

“You had been at the track that afternoon but asked your friend Andrew Fetherstone so the finger of suspicion is not on you.”

The trial continues.