A mum of two who relies on a walking frame after decades of drug abuse has been jailed after she begged a judge to lock her up for her own good.
Caroline Ogilvie was arrested after trying to sneak crack, heroin and various steroids into jail in an effort to pay off a drug dealer she was in debt to.
But, instead of pleading her case, the 52-year-old asked the judge to lock her up, and thanked them when they did so.
Staff at the Buckley Hall jail in Greater Manchester spotted her removing a package from her groin area and passing it to an inmate.
They found a stash of drugs and a mobile phone sim card.
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Ogilvie, from Rochdale, was jailed for two years after a judge accepted her plea that prison would be “more beneficial” for her.
She said it would be the best shot at her getting clean and when the sentence was passed said: “Thanks very much Your Honour, have a good day.”
Ogilvie had appeared at previous hearings in the dock, but on Monday she was present via video link from Styal women’s prison in Cheshire, after she was arrested for jumping bail.
The court heard how the original arrest took place at 4pm on April 9, 2018, after she went to visit inmate Anthony Hall.
Jonathan Savage prosecuting said: "Her clothing had been searched on entry, but nothing prohibited was found and she was allowed into the visiting area where she sat at a table with Hall.
"She remained with Hall for the full two hours allowed but as the defendant stood up about to leave, she was seen by prison staff to move her hands towards her groin as Hall embraced her.
"The staff thought that an exchange was taking place, went to the table and pulled Hall away from the defendant. When Hall was searched, he was found to have a package which, when analysed, was found to contain drugs.
"The defendant was interviewed later the same day but she answered "no comment" to all questions asked of her."
Ogilvie admitted to eight charges of conveying prohibited articles into prison.
In a plea to the court, she had said: "My life has been broken following me being in a series of children's homes.
"I was in the care system and was abused between the ages of eight and 12 and I was moved 17 times from the age of six and 14. My life became erratic and got introduced to heroin.
"I had two children taken off me and my life spiralled out of control. I became a street walker to earn money for drugs and I stayed on that path not knowing how to get back to where I was and live a normal life.
"I was never shown how to live life normally when I was a child. With this offence I owed money to a dealer."
Ogilvie's counsel Timothy Ashmole said in mitigation: "It's not very often I say this but the defendant asks she be sent to custody immediately.
"For the first time in her life she is stablising herself and doesn't want to return to what is described as the 'normality' of taking heroin first thing in the morning when she wakes up. "
Sentencing Judge Maurice Greene told Ogilvie: “Taking these items into prison led to difficulties with prison management and caused considerable problems for those already addicted to drugs because they find it very difficult to control their habits if drugs are in plentiful supply.
"But you have had an extremely difficult background and you were an addict who built up drug debts and were pressured to do this as many in your situation are.
"You succumbed to that pressure and tried to convey those items into prison and you were caught. You have a number of ill health issues including post traumatic stress, depression and you also have a spinal illness as well.
"You want to have assistance to help with your drug issues and I note that you are frank in stating that you don't want a community-based sentence rather that you find a prison environment more beneficial and intensive in addressing your drug dependency."
