Woman claimed she was put under pressure to sneak drugs into jail

A woman who smuggled more than 400 illegal tablets into a prison has been spared custody.

Hannah Milligan said she was put under pressure to pass the narcotics to an inmate during a visit.

A court heard the 40-year-old, who has 65 previous convictions, smuggled 385 diazepam and 38 buprenorphine tablets into HMP Northumberland.

Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said it was on November 6, 2019, that the offence took place at the jail, which is in

Acklington, Northumberland.

Miss Dowling told Newcastle Crown Court: “She was visiting a prisoner and drugs slipped from her clothing.

“She was interviewed and made full admissions.

“She had been asked, or directed really, to take those drugs into prison by someone else.

“She said she felt under pressure to do so.”

Milligan, of Normanton Terrace, Fenham, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to conveying a banned article into prison on the basis she was put under pressure and received no payment for doing so.

She was sentenced to six months suspended for two years with a rehabilitation requirement.

Recorder Mark McKone told her people who take drugs into prison are usually jailed but he added: “I’m just persuaded you have made sufficient progress in that time that it would now be not in the interests of justice to send you to prison today.”

Penny Hall, defending, said she felt under threat when she agreed to take the drugs in.

Miss Hall added: “She is assessed as a low risk of harm.

“She’s never previously received a prison sentence.

“If she goes to custody she would likely lose her accommodation and would be associating with the type of people she has tried to distance herself from.”

Hannah Milligan