Let off jail... model told to sneak drug into prison or see her family firebombed
A GLAMOUR model has avoided being jailed after a judge accepted a gangster had frightened her into smuggling drugs to a prisoner by threatening to firebomb her family.
Chloe Buckland, 26, handed nearly two ounces of cannabis to an inmate at Category C HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
She claimed to be convict Ian Smith’s cousin in order to visit him in jail, Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
But her nervousness alerted prison guards who detained Smith and found the Class B drug in his pocket.
Buckland, a part- time glamour model, admitted bringing the drug into the prison last June
But she was able to show proof that a hoodlum called “Joel” had been hounding her on social media with threats to firebomb her family.
Sentencing Judge Angela Nield told her: “Ordinarily offences of this nature call for a deterrent sentence as well as a punishment.” Buckland, who had no previous criminal record, was given a six- month suspended sentence.
Judge Nield told her: “You became a target for an individual who made threats towards you after you initially refused his request to convey cannabis into prison.
“Often people tell the court they were coerced into this type of matter.
“But it is wholly unusual for somebody to have such graphic evidence to support their case, evidence of threats through messages which became more violent.
“Threats against you and your own family, even threats to burn your house down, threats which you thought would be carried out.”
However, Judge Nield stressed to Buckland, of Bootle, Merseyside, that her life would have been simpler if she had revealed the threats to police or prison officers.
She said: “You had the opportunity to go to the police and even at the last moment to speak to the prison services to tell them of your unfortunate mission. “Prison officers could see you were highly anxious when you attended prison.
“They were able to intervene to prevent the drugs from entering into the prison system.”
She added: “You have told the court of the pressure you were under and I accept you have expressed your significant remorse.”
Buckland was also ordered 180 hours of unpaid work.
Stella Hayden, defending, said: “This offence was out of character. She was susceptible to his threats.” to do