Before the Superior Number of the Royal Court an emotional Arlene Mowat (25), of Glasgow, was freed after the Crown had asked the court to sentence her to five and a half years in prison.
Crown Advocate Conrad Yates said that Mowat was stopped at the Airport on 23 October after flying into the Island from Glasgow via Birmingham.
When she was searched, three bottles containing shampoo, shower gel and conditioner, were found in her bags and inside those, condoms containing ecstasy tablets and cocaine were discovered.
She denied placing those items in her bag or knowing what was inside them.
In total 578 tablets and 67 grams of cocaine were found, giving a combined street value of £11,480.
Advocate Claire Davies, defending, said: ‘I want to be able to persuade the court that this is an exceptional case.
The probation service has taken the unusual step of recommending a non-custodial sentence.’ She went on to explain that Mowat’s brother had last year been sentenced in Glasgow for murder, which resulted in her parents separating.
Mowat’s long-term partner had left her four weeks before the offence, and since then she had witnessed the death of her 18-year-old cousin in a car accident.
These matters left her seriously depressed and without any stability, either emotionally or financially, Advocate Davies explained.
She asked the court to consider either placing Mowat on probation or drastically reducing the length of her sentence.
Delivering the court’s sentence, the Bailiff, Sir Philip Bailhache, said that the court accepted Mowat was a ‘frail and vulnerable individual’ and that there were exceptional circumstances in this case.
‘In this instance the court will sentence you to a non-custodial sentence as an act of mercy,’ he said.
Mowat was placed on probation for two years and ordered to complete 250 hours’ community service, which will be carried out in her native Glasgow.
Sitting with the Bailiff were Jurats Bullen, Le Breton, Allo, Clapham, Morgan and Newcombe.
