Kim Kerwin, a 66-year-old pensioner, avoided immediate imprisonment after smuggling cocaine, ketamine and cannabis into HMP Oakwood in Staffordshire. She hid the drugs in her underwear and passed them to an inmate during a visit on December 18, 2023.
How the smuggling was discovered
CCTV footage showed Kerwin reaching into her underwear, removing a package, and placing it into her sleeve. She then entered the visitor lounge, hugged the prisoner, and handed over the contraband. Prison staff monitoring the cameras alerted guards, who detained the inmate and recovered a cling film-wrapped parcel from his jacket pocket.
The package contained 11.74g of cocaine, 6.86g of ketamine and 2g of cannabis, with a combined street value of up to £7,450. Kerwin initially claimed the inmate was her step-son and said she was unaware of the contents, asserting she was 'forced to bring it in'.
Background and threats
Kerwin, of Ripon Street in Walton, Liverpool, told police that a man had texted her: 'If you don't do it, then there's going to be murder.' She has no previous convictions. Her barrister, Bernice Campbell, described her as having a 'difficult upbringing' and a 'life riddled with heroin and addiction'. Campbell added: 'She lost her partner, and she has lost herself. She is riddled with anxiety, depression and stress. She was used by others to take these drugs into prison. It was a pretty naive attempt.'
Court proceedings and sentence
Kerwin admitted three counts of conveying a prohibited article into a prison on the day she was due to stand trial. Appearing in Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, wearing a grey Moschino hoodie, she was handed an 18-month imprisonment suspended for two years. The judge also imposed a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 30 days and a 12-month drug rehabilitation requirement.
Sentencing, Judge Louise Brandon said: 'The prosecution have accepted that you are a vulnerable addict, and you certainly were under pressure to do what you did. Drugs in prison are worth much more in prison than they are on the street. I am treating you as somebody who is effectively of good character. This offence is now two-and-a-half years old, and there has been no further offending.'
The judge noted Kerwin's complex physical health difficulties and long-term care package via social services, stating: 'Custody would be very difficult indeed for you. I have reached the conclusion, just, that, in the particular circumstances of your case, a sentence which does not result in your immediate imprisonment today could be imposed.' She warned Kerwin: 'If you breach the order, you will be back before me. I am telling you now that you will go into custody.'
