Drug smuggling at prison described

Press, 13 March 1985, Page 4

Drug smuggling at prison described

Methods of smuggling drugs into prison and the inmates’ concealment of them were given in the District Court in a defended hearing before Judge Bradford.

A detective said that drugs could be passed from mouth to mouth while a visitor and inmate were kissing and he gave evidence that a woman who had cannabis hidden in her bra had told him it was wrapped in Gladwrap so that the inmate could put it up his anus. The Judge reserved his decision on a charge against Susan Mary Birkbeck, aged 23, unemployed, on a charge of possession of 2.9 g of cannabis for supply. Sergeant G. G. Clelland

appeared for the police and Mr M. J. Glue for Birkbeck. The deposition of former Constable Anna Fidow, who is now living in the United States, was read to the Court. She said that on November 5 she was called to strip-search Birkbeck, a visitor to the Addington Remand Prison. Birkbeck kept her hand over her right breast but a small packet wrapped in clear plastic film fell out of her bra on to the floor. She admitted that it contained cannabis but said it was for her own use and she had not brought it to the jail for anyone. Detective Robert Grant Palmer said that Birkbeck told him that the packet contained “grass” sufficient for at least two joints. She

said that she always carried her cannabis in her bra.

On further questioning, Birkbeck became upset and wept. She said she had come to visit Eru Lucian Hall but he did not know she was bringing him cannabis. It was her own idea.

Asked why the drug was tightly wrapped in a cylindrical shape, Birkbeck said: “So he could stick it up his bum of course,” but she later changed it to: “So they could stick it up their bums.” Birkbeck had a 10-minute visit with Hall and later she told witness that Hall had gone mad at her when she told him that “they had got me with some smoke I was bringing you.”

To Mr Glue, Detective Palmer said that he could not comment on the statement that it would be painful to insert a package of that size in the anus. “There are various degrees of stoicism, Mr Glue,” Judge Bradford said.

He did not know if there was a prison officer on duty in the visitor’s room, said Detective Palmer.

Wouldn’t it be extremely difficult to remove the package from the woman’s bra and secret it in the way suggested? — It could be passed from mouth to mouth during a kiss.

In evidence Birkbeck said that she hid her cannabis in her bra when she saw a member of the drug squad at the prison.