Woman who tried to swallow drugs is jailed

Wraps were too large, court heard

A serial drug user was jailed by Newbury magistrates after she tried to swallow a crack cocaine and heroin cocktail when she was stopped by police.

Ms Claire Tina Leonard, aged 38, of Hutton Close, Newbury, pleaded guilty to possessing the two class A drugs, at West Berkshire Magistrate’s Court, on April 21.

Jo McGlew, prosecuting, said that on February 9 Ms Leonard was spotted by a police officer leaving the location of a known drug user.

Miss McGlew said that her bag was searched before the officer asked if anything was in her mouth.

Ms Leonard then attempted to swallow the drugs, which were hidden inside six wraps – four dark containing heroin, and two white, containing crack cocaine.

The wraps were too large for her to swallow, however, and so she had no option but to spit the drugs out, and she was subsequently arrested and charged.

Pleading guilty, and in light of a previous 12-month conditional discharge which was given to her in July last year, magistrates decided to activate that sentence and send her to prison.

As the sentence was given out, a man sitting in the public stands leapt into the dock to give Ms Leonard an embrace before he was escorted away by the court usher.

The final sentence for Leonard was a combined 12 weeks imprisonment.