A brazen drug dealer caught pushing street Valium in Dundee city centre has been jailed.
Police CCTV captured Paula Bowman exchanging wraps of etizolam and cash on High Street and City Square on multiple occasions.
Bowman – who has a lengthy criminal record – was given the chance to cooperate with social workers in a last-ditch attempt to avoid prison.
However, the 53-year-old did not engage, with Dundee Sheriff Court hearing about the extent of her “chaotic” lifestyle.
Took drugs from bra in city centre
A narrative of facts previously described Bowman’s drug-dealing between September 2021 and July 2022.
Footage in the first incident captured Bowman taking a wrap containing a white substance from her bra.
A full search later revealed she was concealing 18 different wraps containing 327 white tablets.
The narrative said of an incident just before 10am in June 2022: “The on-duty CCTV operator observed the accused handing out several white tablets to numerous members of the public in exchange for money.”
More than £1,700 in cash was recovered from Bowman, with the drugs recovered having a maximum value of £511.
Avoiding old associates
Bowman, of St Mary Street, previously pled guilty to drug-dealing and returned to court for sentencing after a social work report was prepared.
“The report makes extremely poor reading,” solicitor Anika Jethwa conceded.
“She’s had long-standing drug problems, significant mental health issues and has struggled to deal with the death of her long-term partner.
“The difficulties this woman has are very much entrenched.
“The offences were committed in the city centre where she was hanging around with various like-minded people, involving herself in the supply of drugs.
“She’s not going into town associating with these people any more.”
Custody ‘revolving door’
Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith told Bowman, who repeatedly shook her head while being addressed: “I was rather dismayed to find you did not really attend any of the appointments and the only times you did attend was because you were in crisis.
“It seemed to demonstrate quite eloquently you still living quite a chaotic lifestyle.
“You are just going to be a revolving door to custody.
“I appreciate you may have been concerning yourself in the supply of drugs as a means of funding your own addiction but you have still seen fit to bring misery to others in supplying drugs that have caused your life to spiral out of control.”
She was jailed for a total of 491 days.
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