A Pembroke female handed a suspended sentence last year narrowly avoided going to jail this week after being caught in possession of Class A drugs.

Twenty-year-old Lacey Marie Sharp, of Tenby Court, Monkton, appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday, to admit possessing 0.8 grams of cocaine; and 1.3 grams of MDMA.

Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told the court that Miss Sharp was subject to a stop and search on October 27 when she was the passenger in a vehicle travelling on the A477 at Sageston.

“Police officers suspected that Miss Sharp had drugs on her and she produced them from down her trousers.

“One she thought was ecstasy but didn’t believe the other was cocaine, she thought it was Ketamine.

“She told officers that she had bought the drugs from a festival that she was on the way back from,” he continued.

Defence solicitor Mike Kelleher told the court that Miss Sharp who was handed a suspended prison sentence last May after assaulting a police officer, had a relatively small amount of drugs on her.

“Whilst she has a criminal record, this will be her first conviction for drugs offences.

“She has had four months to dwell on this before it has come to court, and in this time Miss Sharp has been referred to DDAS (Dyfed Drug and Alcohol Service) on a regular basis.

“This was a routine stop by police and she took full responsibility for all the drugs in the vehicle.

“She had just been on a four month curfew and it had not long been her birthday, so she went to the festival with friends.

“Her previous convictions have all involved violence, so this drugs charge is an isolated one.

“Miss Sharp has show full co-operation on the suspended sentence order, and recently moved into her own flat, which she is proud of, but concerned that because of a moment of madness, she might lose that accommodation,” added Mr. Kelleher.

The probation officer told magistrates that Miss Sharp had been complying well with her order and had also agreed to one to one anger management sessions.

Magistrates told the defendant that they had taken an extended period to think about the case, and felt that it was ‘unjust’ on this occasion to activate the suspended prison sentence.

Miss Sharp was fined £120 for the offence and the operational period of her suspended sentence order was extended by six months, to include an extra two month curfew period, to run between the hours of 7 pm and 7 am.

She was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £32 victim surcharge.