Mum accused of deliberately getting pregnant in bid to avoid jail time after smuggling steroids into husband's prison
A JUDGE accused a mum of deliberately getting pregnant in a bid to avoid jail after smuggling drugs into her husband's prison.
Tanya Parker helped get steroids, mobile phones and tobacco into HMP Birmingham in 2019.
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The mum-of-four helped her husband David Bradley smuggle them in while he was in jail himself.
The couple, from Coventry, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court and were previously warned they likely faced being jailed straight after.
Cathlyn Orchard, defending 36-year-old Parker, revealed to the court that she was between six to seven weeks pregnant.
Astonished Judge Dean Kershaw replied: "Are you seriously telling me that? Knowing the position these two are in, she's pregnant again?
"She understands there's something called contraception, having a child knowing the position both of them are in," BirminghamLive reported.
The barrister said: "I haven't gone into that detail. She is not wanting to be pregnant and she is conflicted in saying that because she is going to keep the child. It couldn't have come at a worse time."
Judge Kershaw responded: "It all smacks to me it is another thing she is mentioning to avoid custody.
"It maybe regrettable but let's apply common sense."
However the judge decided not to jail Parker.
Having admitted two offences of conspiring to convey prohibited articles into prison she was sentenced to an 18-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activity.
Judge Kershaw said Bradley, aged 34, had abused his partner's loyalty.
Bradley, who admitted the same two offences as his wife as well as a charge relating to having a phone in prison, was sentenced to 24 months suspended for 18 months.
He was ordered to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activity.
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