A HAMPSHIRE man who assisted in smuggling drugs worth more than £3,000 into prison while serving a custodial sentence has escaped more jail time.

Salisbury Crown Court heard that Ian Cheetham, from Stockbridge, was an inmate on gardening duty at HMP Erlestoke when he was caught on CCTV receiving two socks filled with drugs which were thrown over the fence.

The packages contained a quantity of cannabis, cannabis resin and 242 diazapam tablets worth a street value of around £3,600.

Tom Wright, prosecuting, said: “He was seen on CCTV to involve himself with a wheelie bin which was being moved by another inmate.

“Two packages were thrown over the prison fence and Mr Cheetham quickly moved to recover these items.”

He was then seen putting the socks, containing 28.3grams of herbal cannabis, 63grams of cannabis resin and the 242 tablets, into the bin which was to be transported to other areas of the prison.

Mr Wright continued: “Also within the package were a number of SIM cards and mobile phone components and a substantial quantity of spice, which is now a prohibited drug. At the time of the offence it had not been made illegal.”

Cheetham pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs but denied any charges involving mobile phones.

At the time of the offence, in July 2015, the 30-year-old was serving a sentence for conspiracy to supply cannabis after he was pulled over in a car on the A34 with a pillow case-sized quantity of the class B drug as part of an operation transporting drugs from Liverpool to Andover.

Ann Ellery, defending, told the court that Cheetham admitted to assisting in smuggling the drugs into the prison by picking them up and putting them into the wheelie bin but that was as far as his involvement went.

She went on to say that his role was in repayment of a drug debt accrued in prison and that he was being bullied by his creditors.

Miss Ellery said: “His role was to pick up the socks and place them in the wheelie bin but he accepts that he knew there were drugs in the packages.”

Although the prosecution agreed that his role was confined to receiving the packages and did not involve selling the drugs, Mr Wright did not agree that there was no evidence of planning on Cheetham’s part.

Miss Ellery continued: “There is no evidence that he was selling on the cannabis but he does accept that what he allowed to be brought into the prison would have been disseminated to other inmates.”

The court heard that Cheetham was released from prison in January last year and, despite the offence taking place in July 2015, he was not formally charged because of police delays until December 2016.

During that time he has built himself a more stable life with a full-time job and partner.

Concluding her mitigation Miss Ellery said: “He is a changed man.

“Perhaps there would be some prejudice to Mr Cheetham in the delay because it has been left so long that he has managed to find a stable life for himself.”

Sentencing Cheetham to two years in prison, suspended for two years, Judge Susan Evans said: “There are some aggravating factors. 

“On the other hand, it seems there has been an unhappy history because you were released in early 2016 and it seems there has been a delay on the part of the police in bringing these offences to court and in the meantime you have turned your life around to some extent.

“You have a job and I am impressed by that.

“Had you appeared in a reasonable period of time I would have imposed a custodial sentence.”

Cheetham is also required to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in the community, 10 rehabilitation activity days, a drug rehabilitation requirement and a thinking skills programme.

He was also ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge.