Tried to get drugs into jail

A woman, caught with more than £1000 worth of drugs at Perth Prison, tried to swallow some of the contraband.

Now 31-year-old Amanda McKenna could face a jail term when she is sentenced on Wednesday, March 13.

Perth Sheriff Court was told prison staff received a tip-off that she was to take controlled substances into the Edinburgh Road complex.

The following day officers recovered 5.41 grammes of heroin.

It had a street value of £210 but could be worth as much as five times that - £1050 - in the prison, according to depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson.

Cannabis, valued at £10-£15 in the community but £75 in a prison setting, was also seized.

The court heard she had unsuccessfully tried to swallow one of the wraps. A struggle had ensued and two police officers, at the jail in connection with an unrelated matter, had assisted.

McKenna, of James Court, Cowdenbeath, said she had been“bullied” into taking the drugs into the prison.

She admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and cannabis resin on August 2, 2018.

SheriffWilliamWood called for a community justice social work report, as well as a restriction of liberty order assessment, before deciding her fate.

But he warned her: “This is a serious matter.

“Supplying class A drugs - any drugs - into prison potentially attracts a custodial sentence.”