A WELSHPOOL woman stopped by police was found to have dangerous drugs hidden inside her.

At Mold Crown Court today (Wednesday) defendant Carla Francis, 38, was given what was described as a rare chance.

Judge Niclas Parry deferred sentence for four months after being told that a fully funded placement was available for her at a residential drugs rehabilitation unit in Weston Super Mare.

Prosecuting barrister James Coutts told the court how in March of last year police stopped a car in which Francis was travelling in Mid Wales.

She was taken to hospital and there she took out the drugs which she had hidden inside her. The class A drugs were valued at £700.

Text messages also indicated earlier drug supply.

Francis, of Oldford Rise, Welshpool, admitted possessing crack cocaine and heroin with intent to supply between February and March last year, together with an earlier supply charge based on messages found on her mobile phone.

Judge Niclas Parry told her that she had admitted serious offences “for which you would normally go to prison for 27 months”.

He said that the Newtown and Welshpool areas were being blighted by class A drugs.

People were suffering and crime was being committed in what he described as one of the “worst places in Wales” for drug problems.

She, by supplying, was contributing to that problem.

But she had a difficult time in her life which involved her young family.

The offences were back some 20 months.

Quite exceptionally, and fortunately for her, those who had been supporting her had taken the view that she could be considered for admittance on a residential rehabilitation course.

With the future well-being of the public in mind, he had decided to give her the rare chance.

In the present time finance for such a course must be rare, he said.

She could be sentenced in February and in the meantime it was expected that she would not commit any further crimes and would abide by the rules and regulations of the hostel where she would be placed.

Defending barrister Duncan Bould did not mitigate once it was confirmed by probation officer Emma Mitchell that funding for the course had been made available by the Kaleidoscope organisation.