A WOMAN who was put under pressure to take drugs into jail has been given a suspended jail sentence.
Stacey Alderson smuggled 24 tablets of buprenorphine, more commonly known by its brand name Subutex, into Stockton’s Holme House jail in her bra.
But the package, which was dropped off at her home for delivery, was detected by staff who were using CCTV cameras.
Teesside Crown Court heard that the 29-year-old, of Tenth Street, Horden, County Durham, acted under “extreme duress” and received threatening phone calls.
She also feared that her boyfriend, who had suffered an arm injury while in the prison as a result of an attack by fellow inmates, would be further hurt if she did not comply.
Prosecutor Rachel Masters said Alderson, who admitted conveying a prohibited article into Holme House on October 10 last year, told police she suspected the item contained drugs, but did not know the exact contents.
Robert Mochrie, mitigating, said the defendant had been “frozen with fear” by the demands placed upon on her.
Judge Simon Hickey said: “Prison officers run a very difficult regime and that is not helped by people taking drugs into prisons.”
The judge said the problem had gone up hugely in recent months and years, however he believed in this instance Alderson had been exploited and “preyed upon”.
He suspended a four month jail sentence on Alderson for a year and gave her a 15 day rehabilitation activity order.
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