A woman caught smuggling drugs into prison when she visited her son has narrowly avoided an immediate prison sentence.
Caroline Barker was recorded on CCTV at Holme House Prison passing over cannabis and prescription drugs on January 6 last year.
The 47-year-old was told that she would have faced an immediate prison sentence if any of the drugs had been Class A.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Barker was visiting her son at the Stockton prison when officers watched her pass a packet across the table.
Judge Jonathan Carroll branded the defendant "fundamentally dishonest" when he sentenced her to two years in prison suspended for two years.
He said: “When I read the pre-sentence report in this case, I pretty much disregard anything you said.
“I can entirely disregard the circumstances you say you ended up bringing drugs into prison. I am entirely satisfied that you made your own choice to do so.
“You knew that package you brought into Holme House Prison contained drugs. You say you don’t know what type of drugs.
“Rest assured that if there had been Class A drugs in that package you would be starting an immediate custodial sentence probably starting at three years.
“There are only two reasons I don’t send you immediately to custody – the first is because you have had to wait an inexcusable length of time of over a year for the most simple of cases to be prosecuted.
“Secondly, you have no relevant previous convictions.”
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Barker, of Rhodesia Road, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to bringing a prohibited item into a prison – cannabis and prescription drugs.
John Nixon, mitigating, said his client had no previous convictions for similar offences and accepted that offences crossed the custody threshold.
Barker was also ordered to attend 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Judge Carroll added: “You are clearly not to be trusted. If you commit any offences at all over the next two years, you will come back in front of me and I will send you to prison.”
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