She hid a block of cannabis and some tablets inside her skirt when she went to visit someone at HMP Humber, a court heard
Natasha Wilson has been jailed(Image: Humberside Police)
A woman craftily smuggled drugs into a prison after being told that she would be rewarded with free private dental treatment worth £500 – for new teeth – instead of having to wait for the work to be done on the NHS. Natasha Wilson wanted “an easy life” so she sneakily hid a block of cannabis, worth a lucrative £3,350 inside prison, and some tablets, worth £650, inside her skirt when she went to visit a prisoner.
But a packet containing the drugs fell to the floor and prison staff saw what was happening and detained her, Hull Crown Court heard. Wilson, 53, admitted taking cannabis and Subutex into HMP Humber, in the North Cave area, on March 28 last year.
Ben Sayers, prosecuting, said that Wilson visited a serving prisoner at HMP Humber. She indicated that she was a friend of his and that it was the first time that she had visited him. She was warned about not bringing banned items into the prison.
Staff kept Wilson under observation and thought that she was behaving in a way that showed that she and the prisoner did not already know each other. Because of this, officers kept the meeting under closer observation.
Wilson leaned forward in her chair. The zip of her skirt at the back was partly down as though an object was hidden behind it. When the visit ended, a package fell to the floor from her skirt as they stood up to say goodbye. Prison officers moved in and detained her.
The package that had dropped to the floor was seen. A block of cannabis resin was found and Wilson admitted that she had dipped it in coffee in a bid to get past detection dogs in the prison.
She said that she had taken the cannabis and five heroin substitute Subutex tablets into the prison for “an easy life” but she did not claim that she had been put under pressure. She said that, in the end, she had changed her mind about actually handing over the banned items.
Wilson claimed that she had been told that, if she took the drugs into the prison, private dental work costing £500 – to replace her teeth – would be paid for her. This was “better than” her having to wait for NHS treatment.
“She was acting in expectation of a significant financial reward,” said Mr Sayers. “She was performing a limited role under direction.”
The 67.2g block of cannabis would have had an estimated value in the prison of £3,350 and the five tablets would have been worth £130 each – a total of £650. These values were far higher than would be the case outside the prison, the court heard.
Wilson’s home was searched and digital scales and self-seal plastic bags were found. She had a conviction for non-domestic burglary in 2024.
Ian Phillip, mitigating, said that Wilson was “not unfamiliar with drugs” but she was doing her best to tackle this, with assistance. Wilson had recently had a “slight relapse” and she had used heroin on a long-term basis previously.
“She has taken steps to address misuse of drugs issues,” said Mr Phillip. Wilson had pleaded guilty and her risk of reoffending was low.
She had a very limited history of previous convictions. “This offence is extremely out of character,” said Mr Phillip.
Recorder Taryn Turner said that such incidents undermined safety and order in prisons and hampered efforts by staff to maintain proper discipline. Wilson acted in a “deliberate and knowing role” in taking the drugs into prison.
The prisoner was described in court papers as being her stepson. “Only immediate custody can be justified in this case,” said Recorder Turner.
Wilson, of Fernside Crescent, Almondbury, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, was jailed for 16 months. She had been on bail.
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