Mum smuggled drugs in sanitary pad for jailed son
A MOTHER attempted to smuggle £5,000 worth of drugs hidden inside a sanitary pad into prison while visiting her son in order to pay off his drug debt, a court has heard.
Prison officers later searched the son and found the package to contain cannabis, amphetamine, ketamine, and buprenorphine.
Michaela Britton, 50, was visiting her son Billy Yeoman, 25, at HMP Parc in Bridgend on June 9, 2022.
She was searched and told prison officers she was wearing a feminine hygiene product.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday heard a visit was conducted between the defendant but following that, Yeoman was isolated and searched.
He was found in possession of a package which fell from the waistband of his trousers.
As a result of this, Britton was banned from all future visits and the police were contacted. The package was found to contain 9.7g of amphetamine, 25 tablets of buprenorphine, 5.86g of cannabis, and ketamine.
The total value of the drugs in a prison setting were between £2,390 and £5,320.
The defendants initially denied the offences but Yeoman later gave a basis of plea that he was not the organiser or the owner of the drugs.
He told police he had accrued a drug debt of £3,000 to fellow inmates for Subutex and spice.
He said he was threatened to facilitate the package’s transportation into the prison in order to pay off his debt.
There were recorded telephone calls between the defendants on June 8, 2022, during which Yeoman told Britton to expect a visit from “Mikey from Newport” who would drop off an item.
Britton later confirmed receipt of the package but said it was “bigger than expected”.
Yeoman, of HMP Parc, and Britton, of Pontalun Close, Barry, both pleaded guilty to four counts of bringing a prohibited item into prison.
The court heard Yeoman was serving a sentence of five and a half years for robbery and possession of a firearm.
He also has previous convictions for criminal damage, common assault, threatening behaviour, dishonesty, handling stolen goods, fraud by false representation, and burglary.
Britton was of previous good character.
Adam Sharp, for Britton, said his client had received threats of serious violence towards her son which had led her to carrying out the offence.
The barrister said the defendant was a mother of two sons with her other son suffering severe health issues.
She had recently suffered the loss of her father who she cared for up until his death.
Christopher Evans, for Yeoman, said his client was under pressure and physically threatened to pay off the drug debt, which led to him getting his mother involved.
He said the defendant had no previous drug convictions and while in prison has been drug-free for up to a year.
Sentencing, Recorder David Payne said drugs were “a currency of great value” in a prison setting, which could be used to “exploit, bully, and intimidate” inmates.
The judge sentenced Yeoman to 10 months’ imprisonment to be served consecutively to his current sentence.
Britton was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment suspended for 18 months and was ordered to pay £440 in costs.