Drug-taking mother warned she could have children taken off her (From The Northern Echo)

Drug-taking mother warned she could have children taken off her

3:12pm Wednesday 21st November 2012 in News By Neil Hunter

A JUDGE rapped a drug-taking mother and warned that her children could be taken from her unless she stops smoking cannabis.

Michaela Bishop, 24, from Middlesbrough, was told that “others might intervene” if she is caught again with illegal substances.

The home Bishop shares with Jake Wray, 25, was raided by police on December 13 last year, Teesside Crown Court was told.

Officers found bagged up deals of cannabis hidden around the house and £216 worth of amphetamine stashed in a freezer.

Wray admitted possessing Class B drugs with intent to supply after claiming he was the dealer and his partner was just a user.

Judge Howard Crowson described the confession as “merciful and just justifiable” because it saved Bishop harsher punishment.

The mother-of-two admitted simple possession of Class B drugs and was given a 12-month community order with supervision.

Wray received a ten-month jail sentence, suspended for a year, with supervision and 120 hours of unpaid work for the community.

Judge Crowson warned them both that they are likely to be locked up if they offend again or breach the orders he made.

The court heard how she bought a bulk deal with money she was given for Christmas, and needed the drugs to combat a back complaint.

Wray's barrister, Duncan McReddie, told the court: “He is not a habitual or long-standing drug dealer, a vital component in the chain.”

Rachel Dyson, for Bishop, of Talbot Street, said: “The whole proceedings have been a rather large wake-up call for her."

Prosecutors accepted her plea of guilty to simple possession after Wray admitted being the one concerned in the dealing.

Judge Crowson told her: “Any amount of complaint of sciatica will not justify your possession of cannabis.

“If you persist, you might also find that it impacts on your abilities to be a mother and others might intervene.”