A mother who smuggled drugs to her boyfriend in prison has avoided a custodial sentence herself after telling a judge of her sick child and parents.
Durham Crown Court was told Ruth Alexander's four-year-old daughter Chloe has a heart murmur and both her parents are in ill-health.
Alexander, 23, of Mill Terrace, Shiney Row, admitted supplying a class C drug on May 9, last year.
The Recor
der, Mr Simon Phillips, sentenced Alexander to nine months in prison, suspended for one year.
She was also made the subject of a 12-month supervision order and must do 100 hours of community work.
"Ms Alexander is the only active adult in the house," said Tim Gittins, defending.
"She has been told offences such as hers usually merit custody, but there would be a grave impact on those who depend her if she did go to prison."
The court heard Alexander visited Thomas Dalton in Durham's Frankland Prison with six burprenorphine tablets hidden in her bra.
The drug – which has the trade name Subutex – is commonly used in the treatment of heroin addicts and is a known "currency" in prison.
"Warders became suspicious when they saw her kissing Dalton," said Lesley Kirkup, prosecuting. "A package was passed between them which he swallowed."
Dalton was put in an isolation cell and the tablets were recovered from him after they had passed through his system.
The court was told she was of previous good character and no longer has anything to do with Dalton.
The recorder told her: "I am just able to suspend the sentence because of the exceptional circumstances relating to your domestic situation.
"I have also read good references about you and see you are an intelligent woman who is not shy of work.
"It seems to me you are an otherwise decent person who made a bad mistake that day."
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