A YOUNG mother arrested with £60,000 of heroin after she was caught by the police on her way back from Liverpool walked free from court this morning.

Lauren Woodward, 21, and her partner Craig Nicholls, 22, were stopped near the Coldra roundabout in Newport in a Renault Twingo following a “drugs run”.

Sol Hartley, prosecuting, said officers found six blocks of heroin hidden in a secret “trapdoor” compartment inside the vehicle.

Woodward, who has a daughter with Nicholls, was hired as a courier by him and was driving the car as he was disqualified.

Nicholls was jailed for four years yesterday at Newport Crown Court but Woodward was today handed a suspended prison sentence.

The judge, Recorder Victoria Hillier, told the mother-of-one she wasn’t going straight to prison because “maternal imprisonment can cause significant trauma for a child”.

South Wales Argus: Craig Nicholls, 22, from Cardiff "set up the drugs run to Liverpool", Newport Crown Court was told

Calling this an “exceptional case”, she added: “You acted as the driver and you did not set up the deal.

“You have always denied the handling of the drugs and you did not know the weight of them.”

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Woodward had felt “control and pressure” from her co-defendant.

“He set up this drugs run for his benefit with his associates,” Recorder Hillier said.

South Wales Argus:

Lauren Woodward

She told Woodward: “This was an isolated incident on your behalf.

“I take into account your young age and your lack of any previous convictions.

“You have been assessed as presenting a low risk of reoffending and there is a strong prospect of rehabilitation.”

Woodward, of Grand Avenue, Ely, Cardiff was jailed for two years but the sentence was suspended for two years.

She must carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and complete a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Before Woodward left the dock, Recorder Hillier told the tearful defendant: “You have been given a significant opportunity today.”

Woodward then embraced friends and family in the public gallery who were in court to support her.

She and Nicholls, of Marcross Road, Ely, Cardiff, are due to face a proceeds of crime act hearing on January 9 next year.

They both pleaded guilty to possessing a class A drug with intent to supply on Thursday, July 27.