Lancaster jail smuggle mum tried to pass on four SIM cards and drugs

Amira Sanoussi, 32, of Pickwick Street, Liverpool, was caught conveying the illicit items into HMP Lancaster Farms on January 7, Preston’s Sessions House Court was told.

The Government says the misuse of drugs in prison is one of the biggest challenges facing our criminal justice system today, contributing to violence, crime and vulnerability within prisons, and threatening the safety and the ability of hard working prison staff, as well as inmates.

Phones or SIMs pose a similar threat, with devices used by prisoners to order drugs or continue coordinating criminal activity.

At least 15,000 mobile phones or SIM cards were confiscated in English and Welsh prisons in 2017, equivalent to one for every six inmates.

Judge Andrew Jefferies QC, appearing by a video link due to the pandemic, imposed nine months suspended for 18 months with a rehabilitation requirement.

He added: “The single most important feature are your two young children aged five and six. Your imprisonment would undoubtedly have a serious detriment on their lives.”

The Lancashire Post is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. For unlimited access to Lancashire news and information online, you can subscribe here.