Leicester woman jailed after drugs found in garden

A 29-year-old woman who was convicted after drugs were found hidden in a garden has been jailed.

Sophie Ingram, of Narborough Road South, was found guilty of the charges of possession with intent to supply class B drugs and perverting the course of justice following a trial at Leicester Crown Court last month (September).

She appeared at the same court today (Friday 18 October) for sentencing where she was also sentenced for an offence of handling stolen goods, two offences of possession of criminal property, one count of concealing criminal property and six counts of theft.

Ingram was sentenced to a total of two years imprisonment.

Connor Smith, 27, of Stephenson Drive, Leicester pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice, before the trial began. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

Ingram was arrested when officers from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), attended Ingram’s address on 7 September 2017 as part of an ongoing investigation. A search of the garden recovered a black bin liner containing a kilogram of cannabis hidden inside a barbecue.

The following month Smith sent a letter to police admitting he was responsible for the drugs found in Ingram’s garden.

He claimed he had found the drugs at a friend’s house and went to Ingram’s address where he asked her for a bag. When Ingram left the property he said he climbed the back gate and stashed the drugs inside the barbecue. He told police Ingram did not know what he had done.

Officers carried out a thorough investigation of the evidence and a forensic examination of the recovered drugs revealed evidence linking Ingram to the packaging around the drugs. Officers were able to discredit both Smith and Ingram’s versions of events by proving points made by the pair to be false and impossible.

Investigator Emily Sharpe, from EMSOU, said: “Offences of this nature will not be tolerated and those intent on committing drug offences will be thoroughly investigated and will be prosecuted.”