A mum sobbed uncontrollably as she was taken from the dock at Leeds Crown Court today to start a four month jail sentence for trying to smuggle drugs into a prison.
Patrick Gallagher, prosecuting, said Suzanne Hever was due to visit an inmate at HMP Wealstun, near Wetherby on May 15 when officers watching on CCTV became suspicious about her behaviour after she left a ladies toilet.
She had walked past notices warning visitors what it was illegal to bring items into jail but when she was approached she was found to be in possession of a non-inflated balloon.
Inside were eight full Bupremorphine tablets and eight fragmented tablets. She told officers she had been forced to take the class C drug known as Subutex into the prison by other men not knowing what the balloon contained.
Kenton Sargeant, representing Hever, said she was an extremely vulnerable woman who was targeted by others.
“She was asked to do something she knew was wrong but she had genuine grounds to fear for the safety, not of herself, but of the person in prison making the request.
“There were many other steps she could have taken to protect herself and her friend in prison but emotionally and intellectually she felt not in a place to take those steps.”
He said because of her difficulties coping, Hever’s mother was currently looking after her young daughter for her but she hoped in the future to sort out her difficulties and be reunited with her. He urged the court as an act of mercy to suspend any jail term.
Hever, 37, of Kipling Close, Crosland Moor , admitted conveying a controlled article into prison without authority.
Sentencing her Judge Sally Cahill QC said while it was not a large amount of drugs involved and she accepted she had been preyed on by others, she knew what she was doing was a criminal offence.
“This court will not tolerate people taking drugs into a custodial setting – the consequences are far too serious,” she said.
