A WOMAN who called herself ‘the best in the north west’ for smuggling class A drugs into prisons has been given another chance.

Katie Wilkinson bragged about how she usually ‘plugs it’ and ‘wears jeans with holes in’ when she takes drugs into various prisons, including Risley.

Appearing at Liverpool Crown Court today, Tuesday, she was told how people in her position should go to prison.

But Wilkinson, who pleaded guilty to two counts of conveying a prohibited article into prison and one count of being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine, was spared jail due to some ‘unusual features'.

Prosecuting, Chris Hopkins said that the 38-year-old’s offending first came to light when she was seen passing a package to an inmate she was visiting at Risley Prison on November 2, 2022.

Mr Hopkins said the package contained 7.6 grams of cocaine, which has a value in prison of between £2,250 and £7,500, and 93g of cannabis resin, which has a value in prison of between £1,300 and £2,600.

It was heard how this is ‘quite a substantial amount’ of cocaine and it is ‘not a small amount’ of cannabis resin.

The package also contained a substance which is used to frustrate drug detection.

Wilkinson, from Atherton, was arrested and an examination of her mobile phone revealed that she was involved in the street supply of cannabis.

It also revealed that she had smuggled drugs into other prisons, including HMP Forest Bank and HM Prison Dovegate.

Mr Hopkins said that Wilkinson’s phone revealed a number of messages in which she was advertising the sale of crack cocaine.

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He told Liverpool Crown Court how there were also messages about the defendant smuggling drugs into prison.

One message said: “I usually plug it and wear jeans with a hole in.”

Another said: “They do not call me Katie the best in the north west for nothing.”

Defending, Mark Shanks said how his client, who has children, is now doing ‘very well’ and is no longer addicted or taking class A drugs.

He said: “In the past 18 months she has made huge strides

“This is a very exceptional case because of the exceptional work she has done.

“She has taken herself away from figures she has known all of her adult life and managed to remove herself away from this circle.

“An immediate term of imprisonment would disrupt her progress.

“She is more at risk of drugs in prison, perhaps more so than the position she has put herself in now.”

Before sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt said: "People in your situation, however much sympathy the court may have, should go to prison to deter other people from doing the same thing. But there are, in my judgement, some unusual features in this case.

“The most significant of those is that there has been a long and unjustified delay.

“It happened at a time in your life when you were chronically addicted to class A drugs and when you would do literally anything to get money for drugs.

“You have done everything that somebody could have expected you to do, you are taking all the support that has been offered to you.”

Judge Flewitt described it as a ‘wholly exceptional case’ and decided to suspend Wilkinson’s ‘unavoidable’ prison sentence.

He added: “If you go back to prison and lose everything you have worked for, the chances of you relapsing are quite high.”

Wilkinson received a 20-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

She must also complete a drug rehabilitation requirement and complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.