A mother asked "am I going to jail?" as she was sent down. Rachael Talbot tried to sneak thousands of pounds worth of drugs into Walton prison concealed in her bra on behalf of a prisoner known as "Carlos".
Initially agreeing to carry out the task in exchange for £200, she was then threatened by criminals higher up the operation that her "children would get it" when she attempted to pull out. However, she ended up imprisoned herself, with a judge telling her as she was sentenced yesterday: "It gives me absolutely no pleasure to do so, but the fact of the matter is that drugs in prison are of catastrophic value."
Arrest and Discovery
Liverpool Crown Court was told on Monday afternoon that Talbot, from Quarry Green in Kirkby, arrived at HMP Liverpool to visit a prisoner, known only as "Carlos", at approximately 3pm on March 21 last year. But the 50 year old was discovered to have "something hard" concealed in her bra during a pre-entry search.
Prosecutor Derek Jones explained how Talbot was escorted to a private room for additional searches, where she produced several cling film-wrapped packages from her undergarment and handed them to a prison officer. These were later discovered to contain 50g of ketamine, worth between £500 and £1,000, 120g of cannabis resin, valued at £600 to £1,200, and 50g of cannabis leaf, with an estimated value of £272 to £408.
Basis of Plea
Talbot subsequently revealed in a basis of plea that she'd agreed to ferry the drugs into the jail on behalf of her "daughter's friend's brother" for roughly £200, though she'd ultimately been "too scared to go". She claimed she'd then been subjected to a barrage of calls from a withheld number, threatening that her "windows would be put through and her children would get it", reports the Liverpool Echo.
Sarah Griffin, defending, informed the court: "She has stayed out of trouble since March last year. She has limited, irrelevant previous convictions. She is assessed as a low risk of reoffending. In my submission, custody would have an impact on others, those being her three 17-year-old children. She is the sole carer for them. They do have complex needs, for which they rely heavily upon their mother. The defendant does have physical conditions. She has indicated that, if there were light duties available, she would be more than willing to undertake unpaid work."
Sentencing
Talbot pleaded guilty to three counts of conveying a prohibited article into a prison and possession of cocaine. Standing in the dock sporting a beige blouse and spectacles, her light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, she received a four-month prison sentence.
Passing sentence, Judge Simon Medland KC stated: "You are a woman in middle age, about 50 now, and, but for some convictions, you are of good character. You had vulnerabilities because of your domestic circumstances, and you were preyed upon to courier drugs into prison. But for the destination of these drugs, the submissions that your counsel makes would be entirely on point. I have to impose a sentence upon you. It gives me absolutely no pleasure to do so, but the fact of the matter is that drugs in prison are of catastrophic value. Prisons are a pressure vessel environment and to put drugs into them causes untold problems, strengthens the internal criminal dynamic and prevents people being rehabilitated. It encourages violence and difficulties and corruption within the prison system. The end result of all of this is that I feel constrained, in view of the facts of this case, to impose an immediate sentence upon you. Unless sentences are imposed, there will be no deterrents for other people in your position."
Following the judge's remarks, Talbot turned to a dock officer and asked "am I going to jail?" before waving to a woman seated in the public gallery. She was subsequently heard in tears as she was escorted down to the cells.
