Caroline Barker, 47, avoided jail after admitting to smuggling cannabis and opioid pills into Holme House prison last year.

She took something out of her bag and put it on the table during visiting hours. The incident occurred last year. The package included cannabis and opioid pills.
It had 6.8 grams of cannabis inside it. Sixteen Buprenorphine pills were also there. These pills contain opioids. She was arrested the next day and did not answer police questions then.
Initially, she denied all charges against her in court. Later, she changed course and pleaded guilty. She admitted to taking prohibited items into prison, which constituted two counts of this crime.
On Monday, Barker stood before Judge Carroll. He told her to take her hands out of her pockets and stated he did not believe she was pressured, thinking she made her own choice.
The judge said she did not know the drugs. He mentioned that if there were Class A drugs involved, she would go to prison. He asked why the case took so long and ultimately suspended her prison sentence due to the delay and no prior drug convictions.
Barker lives on Rhodesia Road in Sunderland. The court handed her a two-year suspended sentence and she also must do 200 hours of unpaid work and attend 20 rehabilitation days.