A CWMBRAN widow found guilty of money laundering by converting criminal property, said to be counterfeit cigarettes, was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment at Newport Crown Court yesterday.

Sara Skinner, aged 45, of Oakleigh Court, Cwmbran, denied eight counts of converting criminal property over a four-year period but last month a jury at Newport Crown court found her guilty of five counts of converting criminal property in November 2009, namely buying a BMW; converting criminal property in 2009 generally; in 2010; in 2011; and between January and June 2012.

She was cleared of three counts of converting criminal property alleged to have taken place in 2007, in 2008, and in 2011, namely a Porsche.

Skinner broke down in tears as the judge Mr Recorder M. Powell QC delivered his sentence of 30 months imprisonment of which she will serve half before being released on licence.

“It is clear to me that you are a woman who knew full well what was going on,” the judge said.

“It is not a case of you turning a blind eye to what was going on-you knew full well what was going on.

“You and your husband were greedy.

“This offence was nurtured entirely be greed.

“The cash which went through your account is on excess of £72,000.”

Skinner had previously told the court during her trial that since her husband’s death last year at the age of 54, she had found he had savings accounts that she didn’t know about.

But the judge added: “I do not accept for a moment that you were not aware of the criminal activity that was going on in the house.

“You could not have been kept in the dark.

“You are more concerned about being caught than the criminal activity itself.”

The court heard how Skinner's husband was found with 24,000 cigarettes in his car, a Ford Focus, in 2008; how in February 2013 police officers carried out a dawn raid at the Skinners family home in Cwmbran whereby a jury was shown a video of their home which was described as “lavish”, showing many “artefacts of high value.”

The court also heard how Skinner had paid off some £60,000 of her mortgage and spent large sums of money on holidays and cars.

One of which a BMW parked on Skinners drive during the raid; contained £8,000 in a carrier bag in the boot.

In mitigation John Ryan defending Skinner said that Skinner lived a “miserable life” after the discovery of her husband’s “double life” whereby he had an affair with another woman with whom he had children.

Mr Ryan said: “You might say that this man [Mark Skinner] exploited his wife.

“She is remorseful and is concerned on the effect her behaviour has on her children.

“She had a catastrophe of a marriage.

“This is a lady who has a lot to lose- imprisonment would have a catastrophic affect on her family.”

But the judge said “The offences are so serious that only a custodial sentence is justified.”