A woman who tried smuggling drugs into prison for her ‘controlling partner’ struggled to contain her emotions as she was allowed to walk out of court.
Sarah Brown was initially searched when she entered Holme House Prison and nothing was found but officers noticed that she was acting suspiciously while she was waiting to be allowed through the gates.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 38-year-old was asked to remove her coat and a small packet containing drugs fell to the floor.
Brown told officers she had been 'coerced' into bring the tablets into the Stockton prison by her partner who was a serving inmate.
Jenny Haigh, prosecuting, said a drug specialist estimated that the five Class C tablets would have a value of between £300 and £1,000 once inside the prison system.
The court heard Brown had been with the man since she was 15 and it had been a "lengthy" and "difficult" relationship involving physical and emotional abuse.
Brown, of Chadburn Green, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to attempting to bring a prohibited substance into a prison, namely five tablets of Buprenorphine.
Tom Bennett, mitigating, said his client felt coerced into carrying out the wishes of her controlling partner.
He said: “She has never been in trouble with the law before and this conviction now left her dreams of running her own pub in tatters.”
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Recorder Abdul Iqbal KC sentenced Brown to a 12-month community order with 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days, a six-month mental health program and 50 hours of unpaid work attached to the order.
“They were valued at between £300 and £1,000 in the custodial environment, which is much higher than if they had not been in a prison,” he said.
“That shows the danger of this type of material getting into the prison environment.”
She was also ordered to pay £300 towards court costs.
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