'I'm free like Chanel when she went the canal' - charges against owner of viral Chanel the parrot dropped

A Merseyside woman, who became a social media hit after losing her pet African Grey parrot Chanel, has walked free from court in delight after a £792,000 drugs smuggling charge against her was dropped.

Sandra Hannah appeared at Liverpool Crown Court when the conspiracy charge she faced along with her husband Ian Hannah, 55, and four other men was mentioned before a judge.

The prosecutor told Judge Neil Flewitt, KC, that the Crown had decided to offer no evidence against 43-year-old Sandra Hannah and she was formally found not guilty and discharged from the dock.

Sharing the news with her 60,900 Instagram followers, Hannah posted two videos outside Liverpool Crown Court, delightedly shouting 'I'm free' and 'Chanel's free'. One of the clips features an amusing reference to the viral video, 'I'm free just like Chanel when she went the canal'.

The defendant, of Cumberland Gate, Netherton, became a viral internet sensation in April 2020 after she recorded herself crying and calling for her missing parrot. Pleading with the public to help locate the African Grey, Hannah said Chanel had fled her home and headed towards the canal. With the whole country rooting for the pair to be united, Chanel was eventually found.

Hannah pleaded not guilty last year to conspiring to import cannabis between March 23 and April 19 last year with her co-accused, and was granted bail ahead of the trial date, which was scheduled for March this year. The allegation came following a joint operation between Merseyside Police and the National Crime Agency. During the two-day operation officers found 237.6kg of cannabis resin imported from Spain.