A woman who tried to eat 25 Valium tablets after being arrested has been spared punishment after a sheriff was “extremely impressed” by her attempts at getting clean.
Paula Bowman, 46, was caught trying to pervert the course of justice by getting rid of the illegal drugs after being placed in the back of a police van in July 2020.
Bowman, who has a string of convictions including most recently, for racially abusing a beggar, was seen “furiously chewing” the tablets before trying to grind the rest to a powder with her feet after spitting them out.
She admitted perverting the course of justice at Dundee Sheriff Court on Friday.
The court heard Bowman, of St Mary’s Place, had been successful in trying to reduce her methadone intake recently and has also started visiting a local church in an effort to beat her addictions.
Admonishing her, Sheriff Robert More said: “I am extremely impressed she is managing to reduce her methadone prescription.
“She has not had her troubles to seek.
“There is water under the bridge.”
The offence
Depute fiscal Rachel Hill told the court: “The incident happened on July 14 2020.
“At around 5.58pm police had cause to attend the locus, they arrested the accused and placed her in the rear of a police vehicle.
“The accused took a packet of tablets from her purse and began to furiously chew on them.
“She resisted (when officers tried to make her stop), flailing her body.
“She was still chewing the tablets.
“She then spat them out on the floor and attempted to grind the tablets with her foot.
“Under caution, she said ‘they were vallies, about 25 of them’.
“Given the number of tablets an ambulance was called but she was deemed fit to stay with police.
“While under caution she said to (no-one present) ‘they are getting a doing’.”
The defence
Defence solicitor Anika Jethwa, said: “She has a lengthy record and has spent time in custody.
“This offence took place in 2020.
“She is now stable on her methadone script and has reduced it.
“She was abusing Valium at the time.
“She had been the victim of an assault, she was aiming the threat at that other person.
“She has been attending a local church as part of its rehabilitation programme.
“She is on benefits, she is trying to do her best to resolve her drug problems.”
