Woman Jailed For Taking Drugs In To Prison
15 April 2011, 17:43 | Updated: 15 April 2011, 17:46
A young woman who was visiting a man in prison was caught carrying drugs by 'sniffer' dogs.
Victoria Robinson, 23, had a wrap of heroin and a wrap of cocaine concealed in her mouth as she entered Bedford prison on Nov 18 last year.
But Robinson said she was not planning on passing them on to a prisoner, insisting they were for her own use later that day.
Judge Michael Baker QC expressed his concern that her account had been accepted by prosecutors and wanted a written report on why she was not charged with the more serious offence of attempting to supply drugs.
Instead she pleaded guilty at Luton Crown Court to two charges of taking drugs into prison and was jailed for eight months today.
Judge Baker said: "Having regard to the offences you have been charged with I have no alternative but to accept your basis of plea, which is that you deliberately took the drugs into prison but intended to use them yourself.
"The sentence for the more serious offence would have been two years but my sentence has to be significantly less."
Matthew Banham, prosecuting said Miss Robinson, from New Barnes Avenue, Ely, Cambs was visiting a male friend at the prison.
"She went through the search area without a problem but at the next stage a drug's dog was present and indicated she had drugs on her.
"Two wraps of drugs were found in her mouth and she tried to swallow them but was prevented from doing so.
"She was interviewed and admitted she was a heroin addict and had bought the drugs earlier that day for £60 for her own use and had no where else to hide them while she made the prison visit," said the barrister.
Stephen Halloran, defending said having travelled from Cambridge that day, she bought the drugs in Bedford and then had no where to keep them safely during the prison visit.
"She had no intention of passing them on to an inmate.
"She is a vulnerable young woman who has been abusing drugs from an early age. But she is engaging with local drug agencies and managing to maintain a drug free existence now."