"You need to stop": Woman, 20, caught out with incriminating £6,500 haul after she 'panicked'... but is spared jail after startling admission

A woman who was caught trying to smuggle £6,500 of drugs into a music festival after she 'panicked' has been spared jail.

Mia Jensen, 20, was caught with a haul of MDMA, ketamine and cocaine hidden inside chewing gum tubs as she tried to sneak into Creamfields via the staff entrance. But after being caught, she told police she had been 'forced' to take the drugs in by her boyfriend, who was looking to sell them in the festival.

She claimed the man - known only as Gary - had told her to take the drugs into the event promising she would not be searched at the staff gate. But after being turned away she ''panicked'' and went to the main entrance knowing she would be caught red handed.

But she was given a suspended sentence after the court heard the startling admission that she had become ''chronically'' hooked on ketamine over a six year period from when she was just 13. The court heard the 'toxic' relationship with her drug dealer boyfriend from when she was in her second year of of her all girls high school led to the addiction.

'This ket thing bad now'

Chester Crown Court heard the arrest took place on August 23 last year after the couple had gone to the dance festival so Jensen's partner could sell drugs to other revellers for up to £15,000.

Miss Shannon Stewart, prosecuting, said: ''Security were alerted to the defendant by a drugs dog and upon searching her it was discovered she had a large quantity of drugs inside two chewing gum containers inside her handbag.

''There were a mixture of pink tablets, snap bags of white powder, wraps of white powder and wraps containing pink powder. The defendant also had an iPhone for which she provided the pin number.''

Investigators said there were 29 snap bags of Ketamine worth £2,280, 175 pink Ecstasy tablets and other MDMA worth £2,450 and 36 knotted plastic packages of cocaine worth £1,800.

On Jensen's phone police found messages relating to the supply of ketamine to an account in the name of gary.a23. One message asked for ‘4nalf 550 and 9s quids’, believed to relate to 4 and a half ounces and 9 ounces of ketamine.

Another Instagram message she sent to Gary said: ‘this ket thing bad now’ to which he responded ‘Ano u fully need to stop.''

Miss Stewart added: ''The defendant told police she was forced to take the drugs in by her boyfriend when he demanded she take them in. She said she was unaware there were class A drugs and believed the two tubs to contain cannabis and ketamine.

''She claimed to be unaware of the purpose of taking the drugs in and claimed to have been a user of ketamine. She told officers her phone would have messages on from her boyfriend regarding her taking the drugs in. She told officers she wanted to dump the drugs but there were no amnesty bins.

''The basis of plea outlines that the defendant had a chronic addiction to ketamine and was in a relationship with Gary who was also a drug user. She asserts she did not pay for the drugs he provided and on the day of the incident he told her to take the drugs into the festival and she felt obliged.

''She intended to go through the production entrance so Gary believed she would not be searched. She did not have the necessary band around her wrist and when she realised she would be searched she looked for an amnesty bin but could not find one.

''She panicked and proceeded to the entrance knowing she would be caught red handed. In regard to the messages, she maintains the messages relating to dealing drugs are from Gary’s Instagram which was logged into her phone and she never sent messages offering to sell drugs. She intended to return the drugs to Gary once inside the festival."

'She started taking ketamine at 13'

In mitigation for Jensen, of Knotty Ash, Liverpool, who had no previous convictions, defence counsel Miss Zara Baqri said: “She performed a limited function under direction because she was simply controlled by her drug dealing partner Gary.

“It is clear that she demonstrated a great deal of immaturity. There is no suggestion that she expected a financial gain from this, perhaps further favours of being provided with drugs that she was addicted to at that time. It is clear that he was a drug dealer.''

Referring to her client's habit, Miss Baqri added: “She commenced when she was 13 years old and it is of no coincidence that she met her now ex partner at 13. He was a manipulative partner and slowly but surely her dependency increased and it is clear the relationship was toxic. While in that relationship she was obsessed with him. She felt that she had to do everything that he asked of her.

“During the course of the relationship he provided drugs for her. Gary instructed Miss Jensen to take the drugs to the festival and he told her to go via the staff entrance. Once on site, she was instructed to hand those parcels or boxes to him. She agreed - it was naïve optimism, perhaps.

"But to pass through the staff entrance it is necessary for individuals to have a security bracelet but she did not have one. The door staff told her to go through the main entrance and knowing she had drugs on her she looked for an amnesty bin.

''Before she could get to an amnesty bin, the drug dogs alerted security staff. She was under the influence at the time and the text messages show she was clearly struggling with addiction, it was out of control. She is now clean of drugs and has been for sometime.''

'Your boyfriend undoubtedly controlled you'

Jensen, who lives with her grandparents and works as a carer in an old people's home, admitted possessing class A drugs with intent to supply. She was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for 18 months and ordered to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity plus six months of drug rehabilitation and mental health treatment.

Sentencing Jensen, Judge Steven Everett told her: “For about six years you were put upon by your boyfriend who undoubtedly controlled you and got you into this terrible mess where you were using drugs. When you went into Creamfields he had effectively coerced you into taking those drugs.

“I do not accept for a second that you believed that there was cannabis in those little tubs. You believed that the there were important drugs with a chance for a significant profit. However I do find you are a vulnerable person. You were certainly affected by what your boyfriend told you to do. You have never been in trouble before, your young age is a truly significant factor.

''You have your chance - and this is your real chance. A chance to make something of yourself. I do not believe for a second that you are a lost cause. If you prove it nobody will be happier than me.”