A Kirkby mum asked "am I going to jail?" as she was locked up after attempting to smuggle thousands of pounds of drugs into Walton prison inside her bra. Rachael Talbot, 50, of Quarry Green, was jailed for four months at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.
Drugs found in bra during search
Talbot attended HMP Liverpool to visit an inmate referred to only as "Carlos" at around 3pm on March 21 last year. During a search prior to entering, prison staff found "something hard" in her bra. She was taken to a private room, where she removed several cling film wrapped packages and handed them to a guard.
The packages contained 50g of ketamine, worth between £500 and £1,000, 120g of cannabis resin, valued at £600 to £1,200, and 50g of cannabis leaf, estimated at £272 to £408. Talbot admitted three counts of conveying a prohibited article into a prison and possession of cocaine.
Threats and sentencing
Talbot had initially agreed to smuggle the drugs for payment of £200, but backed out. She then received calls warning her "windows would be put through and her children would get it". The court heard she has three 17-year-old children with complex needs, for whom she is the sole carer.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Medland KC said: "It gives me absolutely no pleasure to do so, but the fact of the matter is that drugs in prison are of catastrophic value." He added that drugs in prison "strengthens the internal criminal dynamic and prevents people being rehabilitated".
Talbot asked a dock officer "am I going to jail?" before being led down to the cells in tears.
