A former parent governor who smuggled drugs into a prison has been spared jail.
Single mum-of-five Claire Banjo, 39, struggled to cope after her marriage ended and her husband returned to Nigeria - taking their youngest child with him.
Banjo, who was on the committee at Armitage School, Gorton , spiralled into depression and when she failed to turn up at her Jobcentre appointments, her benefits were sanctioned.
Recorder Mark Laprell, sentencing Banjo at Preston Crown Court, said: “You were an active contributor to society rather than someone whose conduct impedes the functioning of society.
“It appears the breakdown of your relationship and the pressures that placed upon you in terms of caring for the children and funding the home caused a downward spiral in all aspects of your life - not just in caring for your children but in your willingness to get involved in something I’m quite sure three or four years earlier you wouldn’t have done.”
In March Banjo, of Warbreck Drive, Urmston, accepted an offer of £200 to carry cannabis resin and subutex into HMP Wymott, Leyland, and was given a visiting order for an inmate she had never met.
But when she arrived at the jail her nerves got the better of her and she dropped the package on the floor - where it was spotted by a prison guard.
The parcel was found to contain 17.7g of cannabis, 27.5g of cannabis resin and five subutex tablets, with a combined street value of £500 - although prison “prices” are much higher.
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Banjo admitted what she was doing and was prepared to face an immediate prison sentence.
The court heard her husband had returned from Nigeria to take care of the children but he would not be able to secure any long-term financial support or accommodation due to his immigration status.
Recorder Laprell said: “The effect of a custodial sentence would be quite catastrophic on you but on your children also.”
He accepted Banjo had no previous convictions and committed the offence when she was in difficult social and financial circumstances and that her attempt at drug smuggling was “naive and clumsy.”
The judge handed her a 10 month sentence, suspended for two years and ordered her to carry out 15 hours of rehabilitation.
