Woman tried to smuggle phone into prison – down her pants

Sep 24 2009 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

A WOMAN who tried to smuggle a mobile phone into Addiewell Prison in her pants narrowly avoided being jailed.

Susan Stevens went to visit her brother at the jail around 1.45pm on March 17 this year.

Fiscal depute Lisa McCloy told Livingston Sheriff Court that attention was drawn to the 25 year old as she kept fidgeting and shifting around in her chair.

CCTV cameras focused on Stevens and as she went to leave the prison security staff asked her if she was concealing anything.

Stevens told staff she had a mobile phone “down her crotch” and she had intended to give it to her brother.

Last week at the court Stevens, whose address was given as Wellgate, Lanark, pled guilty to attempting to smuggle the phone into the West Lothian prison.

Her solicitor, Elaine Brunger, told the court her client had no previous convictions and nothing else outstanding.

Ms Brunger added: “Ultimately she felt she had to do this to help her brother.

“After a traumatic event in her life she turned to drug abuse, something which she has overcome.

“I don’t for a minute suggest this is not a serious offence but given this young lady’s situation and that she lives a good life otherwise, a community service order would perhaps make an appropriate direct alternative to a custodial sentence.”

Handing Stevens 150 hours of community service Sheriff Donald Muirhead said he had come close to jailing her.

Sheriff Muirhead said: “I think you must understand that prisons are places that the state has to have absolute control of what people have.

“It is a very serious matter to try and smuggle anything into a prison.

“We have only recently started to have a prison within our boundaries and there have been a few cases like this creeping up.

“I think it is important that a message is sent to the community that these cases will be looked on seriously and will normally lead to custody.

“But you are a first offender and do not have any other features which lead me to believe you will be making regular appearances in front of the court.

“Also it was a mobile phone and that is not as serious as other things you could have been smuggling in.

“So in the circumstances I am prepared to deal with you by way of a community service order.”