A YOUNG mother who was caught with 12 wraps of cannabis resin stuffed down her bra has been spared jail.

Dawn Peters, 23, was found to have cannabis with a street value of £400 when police raided her home on September 27, last year.

The mother-of-one was accused of possessing the drugs with intent to supply, but a jury at Newcastle Crown Court cleared her yesterday of any intention to deal.

After telling the court she was reliant on the drug to help her "keep calm with her daughter", Mr Recorder Goss agreed to put her on probation for 12 months, provided that she goes to drug awareness meetings.

He said: "I am not going to send you to prison. I have to consider an appropriate sentence to help you, and to protect society from you committing this type of offence.

"Put this behind you and start looking after your family without cannabis."

Peters, of Ashgrove Avenue, South Shields, agreed to try to come off the drug.