(Image: Sarah Caldecott (The Northern Echo))
A "foolish" mum hid drugs in her mouth in a desperate bid to smuggle them into Durham Prison for her inmate son.
One of Wendy Brown’s two sons was said to be coming under pressure from other inmates in Durham Prison and she was persuaded to assist his cause by trying to smuggle in drugs on a visit.
Durham Crown Court was told that on a visit, on October 15, 2024, she took buprenorphine pills into the prison, secreted in her mouth.
But she was seen at one point in the visit removing something from her mouth which was picked up by her son and placed in his mouth.
When prison staff retrieved the contraband, it was found to be four pills of the class C substance, often used as a substitute for heroin.
Sixty-year-old Brown admitted a charge of conveying prohibited items into prison.
Alexander Strother, prosecuting, said there remains Court of Appeal guidance in place that people caught taking drugs into custodial environments should receive an automatic prison sentence themselves, as a deterrent to others.
But Michael Forrest, in mitigation, said sentencing legislation introduced earlier this year stipulated that prison sentences of a year or less should be suspended, except under only exceptional circumstances.
He argued that there were no exceptional circumstances in this case.
“We have a sixty-year-old lady who has done something incredibly foolish because her son, on her account, has been harassed in prison.
“She’s placed drugs in her mouth.
“There are more advanced methods, including the use of drones these days.
“We say the offence itself doesn’t meet the high bar of exceptional circumstances.”
He told Recorder Mark McKone: “In the unique circumstances of this case we say it’s open to you to suspend the sentence.”
Mr Forrest said the defendant has made, “a lot of poor decisions in life”, including committing ten offences, for one of which, an assault, she spent, “a matter of weeks in custody”.
He said her two sons have been the “cornerstone of her life” following abusive relationships, and: “The foolish choice she made was due to the difficulties her son was having in prison.
“She decided to try to fix the problems for her son.”
Mr Forrest said the defendant has had some instability in her life, including a spell of homelessness, but he added that, “when this is all over, all she wants to do is to support her sons.”
Recorder Mark McKone said such offences are, “always very serious” due to the disruption to discipline caused by the introduction and circulation of illicit substances in a prison environment.
He said that in all the circumstances, the appropriate sentence is one of nine months, but he said due to the requirements of the sentencing legislation earlier this year, he would suspend it for 18 months.
Brown, of Alston Avenue, Cramlington, Northumberland, must attend 15 rehabilitation activity days during that time.
The Recorder also ordered forfeiture and destruction of the four tablets recovered by prison staff.
Due to defendant’s lack of means, he made no costs order.