A woman caught smuggling cannabis and the banned psychoactive substance "Spice" into Walton prison was herself put behind bars today.

Kathleen O’Neill was caught trying to secretly hand over a package to a prisoner while visiting him on December 16 last year.

When it was examined it was found to contain just over 25 grammes of Spice which had a street value of £2,560 along with 11 grammes of cannabis.

42-year-old O’Neill, of Treetops Drive, Birkenhead, pleaded guilty to smuggling the prohibited items into the prison on the basis that threats had been made to her partner, who is in jail, and she feared for his safety if she did not do as instructed.

She maintained she knew the package contained Spice but said she did not know it also contained cannabis.

Jailing her for four months, Judge David Aubrey at Liverpool Crown Court said such offending behaviour almost inevitably led to an immediate prison sentence as it was “extremely serious.”

“Drugs become a valuable commodity within the prison system.

"For those tempted to or who do take articles into prison there must be an element of deterrence.”

Bernice Campbell, defending, said that O’Neill is a devoted mother and is remorseful for her behaviour.