Drug addict involved in A5 police chase near Oswestry spared jail after 'beautifully written' letter to judge

Gemma Potts, aged 42, made the "unusual" request of asking to be sent to prison at a previous hearing after she was caught with heroin and crack cocaine following a pursuit on the A5 near Oswestry.

And ahead of her sentencing at Shrewsbury Crown Court, the addict of 20 years penned a "beautifully written" letter to Judge Anthony Lowe, telling him how even her "beautiful" daughters had not been enough to halt her path to "self-destruction" in the past.

Judge Lowe described Potts as "the walking embodiment of the tragedy of drug addiction".

The court was told how Potts was dragged into the murky world of County Lines to pay off drug debts, and was acting as a "courier" when she was caught on September 24 last year.

Police obtained intelligence about a Volkswagen Golf which was suspected as being a car involved in County Lines drug dealing. Officers parked at the Queen's Head pub, just off the A5, ready to intercept the vehicle.

The officer driving the police car pulled alongside Potts, who was driving the vehicle with a man in the passenger seat, but she immediately sped up. They appeared to be fidgeting during the chase, the court heard, prompting officers to suspect they were concealing drugs.

Eventually the Golf came to a stop and both Potts and the man were arrested. They were taken to Shrewsbury police station, Mobile phones were seized from both.

Potts' phone did not show messages considered to suggest drug dealing, however the man's phone did.

Officers carried out strip searches, and Potts was found to be concealing 40 one-gram wraps of heroin worth a total of £400, and eight grammes of cocaine worth £870. She gave no comment when interviewed by police.

Potts, of Gipsy Lane, Erdington, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply. The man in the car with her is awaiting trial in the new year.

Grahame James, mitigating, said that at her plea and trial preparation hearing, Potts asked to be sent to prison because she could not trust herself to remain drug free. "She has been led by her nose in a drug addiction," said Mr James.

Judge Anthony Lowe told Potts he had received a candid letter from her mother outlining her addiction, and a "beautifully written" letter from Potts herself. He handed her a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He said: "I have no idea whether you will be able to stop. I am taking a risk with you. I really do hope you can turn your life around. It is going to take a Herculean effort to get this poison out of your body and stopping it from controlling you.

"There will be dark days ahead where the will starts to give in. I really do wish you the best. I hope you can come to terms with this and sort it out."