A DUNFERMLINE woman will give birth in prison after she was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment at Perth Sheriff Court yesterday.

Seven-months’ pregnant Sian Connor (24), Miller Road, had already admitted to being concerned in the supply of the class A drug cocaine.

And as she appeared for sentence the court heard she was “clinging to the hope” that she could yet escape imprisonment.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis, however, told the accused—who was an addict when she began to supply the drug—that she had effectively been encouraging others to follow the same route she had taken.

Connor pled guilty to a charge that between March 30 and June 15 last year at an address in Green Road, Kinross, she was concerned in the supply of cocaine.

Depute fiscal Robbie Brown said police officers acting on information had recovered drugs with a potential value of more than £8000 from her possession.

“Acting on information received, officers gained a search warrant for the accused’s home,” he said.

“However, on the day in question, a vehicle was seen being driven by the accused and, acting on new information, she was stopped.”

Mr Brown said officers had recovered six packages from the vehicle, containing around five and a half ounces (127 grams) of the drug, with a value between £6000 and £8400.

Also found during the search of the car and the subsequent search of the address was £2440.

Scales and a variety of bags were also found in the property, together with a number of mobile telephones.

The depute fiscal said the phones had contained a large number of text messages, with 20 texts in particular clearly identified as relating to drug dealing.

Connor’s solicitor told the court, “My client is under no illusions as to the serious nature of the circumstances in which she finds herself.

“This all started when she was introduced to cocaine by a previous boyfriend. She had personal difficulties which culminated in her starting to sell the drug.

“She was using cocaine and was experimenting with other drugs. She was part of a social scene where that appears to have been commonplace.”

The solicitor said it was while part of that social scene that she was approached at a party and invited to step up her involvement with the drug.

“She went down that road, initially dealing to one or two friends each week, on average,” the solicitor said.

At the height of her supplying the solicitor said his client was in contact with a maximum of eight people.

The court heard when stopped by police officers, Connor had just agreed to take her dealing to another level again.

“This was the first time that she had taken delivery of such a large amount,” the solicitor said.

The court heard that Connor was almost seven months’ pregnant and had experienced some difficulties with the pregnancy.

However the solicitor said his client had already been in touch with the prison service and ensured that measures could be put in place from a medical standpoint if she was sentenced to custody.

Sentencing Connor, Sheriff Foulis said, “You have pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of a class A drug over a period of two and a half months.

“At the time the warrant was executed by the police you were found in possession of a significant quantity of the drug.

“Part of the insidious nature of any use of drugs is that once a habit is formed the addict is then often hauled in to become involved in the supply.

“Effectively what you are doing is encouraging others to follow the same route that you have taken,” he said.