Edward Rainford and Jay Boyd discussed varieties of the Class B drug nicknamed Oreo Cookie, Orange Cream and Wedding Cake
Edward Rainford(Image: Zenpix)
TV star Chelsee Healey watched on in court as her boyfriend was jailed for his role in a ’boutique cannabis operation’.
Edward Rainford, 32, and co-defendant Jay Boyd, 28, were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis between November 2022 and September 2023.
Healey, 36, who has starred in Waterloo Road, Hollyoaks and Dancing on Ice, entered into a relationship with Rainford four years ago. The pair have a child together.
The court heard how Rainford and Boyd’s illicit activities came to light during a Greater Manchester Police operation tackling Class B drug supply.
Prosecution barrister Gwen Henshaw described how, on July 7 2023, Boyd and Rainford were observed in a Costa Coffee branch in Monton.
They were overheard by a police constable 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 executed at an address on Grasmere Road, Swinton. Boyd’s fingerprints were found at the house alongside a small quantity of cannabis, a ‘list of debtors’ and small bags ‘the kind used for 3.5 deals of cannabis’.
The court also heard Boyd was observed driving past the house during the search, and that his telephone number was disconnected from the network shortly after.
On September 4 that year, Boyd was seen driving in Monton, accompanied by Rainford. They were stopped by police and arrested on suspicion of separate offences.
Chelsee Healey leaving court on Thursday(Image: M.E.N.)
The pair were taken to Wigan police station while their cars were searched and mobile phones recovered. A search of Boyd’s home on Cheetham Road revealed a quantity of cash, a vacuum sealer and a small quantity of cannabis worth between £145 and £205.
But it was the telecoms data, Ms Henshaw told the court, which revealed that Boyd and Rainford were not simply engaged in personal use of the substance but rather ‘playing roles’ in ‘their own boutique operation’.
The phone evidence included photos of bundles of cash, with metadata from one photo matching the address of Rainford’s family home.
There were chat logs of the pair discussing money and different flavours including Oreo Cookie, Orange Cream and Wedding Cake.
The pair sent contacts to each other, and sent videos back and forth showing ‘different strains of cannabis’ with ‘close-ups of the product’ showing its ‘quality and structure’.
On August 13 Rainford sent Boyd a voicenote saying: “I think I’ve got a quick one for us if you’re interested.” Another conversation showed one requesting a video of the ‘Gorilla Glue’ strain to ‘forward on’.
Jay Boyd outside Manchester Crown Court(Image: Steve Allen)
The court also heard that on one occasion there was a conversation where in which Rainford appeared to refer to a debt he owed. The sum of these findings was, the prosecution said , evidence of the pair “working together in order to sell cannabis”.
“They make contact with customers arranging supply of different strains,” Ms Henshaw told the court. “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.”
Ms Henshaw said the pair had a ‘leading role’ in ‘organised buying and selling of cannabis on a commercial scale’, with ‘substantial links in a chain’.
“This was not a massive enterprise, but there were numbers of other people involved,” she added. “There are people buying from the defendants and selling on for distribution.”
Mitigating for Rainford, Mark Friend said the offending had ‘financial advantage in mind’ but told the court it ‘lacked many of the hallmarks of sophisticated, professional drug dealing’.
“There were no encrypted telephones – the messages and exchanges were not difficult to access,” he said.
“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.”
The court heard Rainford had served for nine years in the Army. “He gave good service to this country,” Mr Friend added.
“I think that defence was used on a previous occasion,” replied His Honour Judge Peter Horgan. “There is only so much you can draw from the same well.”
Chelsee Healey leaving court following an earlier hearing in the case(Image: Steve Allen)
Rainford has four previous convictions for criminal damage; assault; and violence. He received a prison sentence for the latter in July 2019 and was released from prison in 2022, at which point he was ‘anxious to build himself a life’, the court heard.
“He is not scared of hard work and earning a living,” said Mr Friend. “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.”
Rainford was still on licence when he was arrested in 2023. He also initially pleaded not guilty to the drugs charge in December 2024, before admitting his crimes in early January.
Representing Boyd, Tanya Elahi agreed the offending ‘lacked sophistication’. “They did not use a business as a cover or abuse a position of responsibility,” she added.
She said Boyd was now a trained air conditioning engineer who had been self-employed since November 2024, as he had been released on unconditional bail following his arrest and guilty plea.
“He accepts the severity of the offending and is remorseful for his actions,” she told the court. “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,” Judge Horgan interrupted. “That is the difficulty.”
The judge said that he ‘entirely agreed’ that Rainford and Boyd’s activities amounted to ‘a boutique operation’.
“It was a serious operation, in which you had a contact above and below you,” he told the pair. “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 said he had an ‘impressive’ military career before his prison sentence. “You were released in July 2022 and, for reasons which are beyond me, you then became involved in this,” he added.
“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.
Addressing Boyd, Judge Horgan 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, of Cheetham Road, Swinton, was sentenced to a total of a year and six months.