A vulnerable drug addict bullied into dealing by a Liverpool gang tried to take an overdose, a court heard.
Helen Guthrie, 49, and fellow drug user Amy Kirsopp, 31, were both charged after supplying Class A drugs to an undercover police officer deployed to Berwick, Northumberland, to tackle drugs gangs. The case arose out of Operation Eclipse, a nationwide police operation tackling crimes linked to county lines dealing - where drugs gangs from bigger cities target small towns or rural areas.
Guthrie and Kirsopp appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to be sentenced for being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. The women had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing, Chronicle Live reports.
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Matthew Bean, prosecuting, said the undercover Northumbria Police officer, using the alias 'Nick', was deployed to Berwick in 2019 after an investigation identified five Liverpool men were operating in the town and supplying cocaine and heroin. Mr Bean said Guthrie was identified as someone who was in contact with drug users, but she was described as being "vulnerable" as the Liverpool men were using her then-home as a base for their drug dealing. He said: "She was unable to cope with these males and tried to take an overdose."
On September 23, 2019 Guthrie was met by Nick, the undercover officer, on a street and Kirsopp turned up soon after and "greeted them". Mr Bean said: "Guthrie supplied Kirsopp with £70 worth of drugs, including heroin. Nick asked Guthrie if he could have some crack-cocaine, she agreed and he handed her £20, she then supplied him with the crack cocaine."
On July 11, 2019, Nick was sitting on a bench in Berwick when three drug users approached him. Mr Bean said: "He informed them he wanted to buy crack-cocaine, a drugs order was then made on a mobile phone and he went to an address to wait for the supply to arrive." The court heard that Kirsopp was the dealer on that occasion and she turned up and supplied Nick with £20 worth of drugs.
Tony Cornberg, defending Guthrie, of North Shields, said she has spent the past few months in a women's refuge. The court heard she was "homeless and vulnerable" at the time of the offences, and she had stayed out of trouble since then. The court heard she had made "significant changes" to her life.
Shaun Routledge, defending Kirsopp, of Orchard Park, Kelso, Scotland, said she was now stable and in drug treatment, with a report saying she no longer has any contact with known drug users. She had no relevant previous convictions for drugs and is "taking steps to address her addictions".
Sentencing the pair, Judge Edward Bindloss handed Kirsopp an 18 month prison sentence, suspended for two years and told her she must also complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days. Guthrie was given a 23 month prison sentence, suspended for two years and must complete 60 rehabilitation days.
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