A Corradino Correctional Facility inmate, accused of handling drugs shortly after being jailed 10 years ago, has been handed a three-month jail term.

Lorraine Vella, 48, was charged with possession of heroin, methadone and cannabis resin, as well as relapsing, following two separate incidents in 2010 when a supervisor came across the accused acting somewhat suspiciously. 

On November 9, the supervisor noticed a sudden movement by a cell occupant, who slipped something under her pillow as soon as the prison official stepped into the room. 

Vella, who happened to be there at the time, simultaneously grabbed a small cigarette-like packet off the bedside table.  

Lifting the pillow, the supervisor spotted two foil pieces, one of them rolled up like a straw.

Turning upon Vella, the prison official ordered her to hand over the packet but the latter refused, kicking up a fuss when the supervisor tried to wrestle it out of her firm grip.

Two other prison officials rushed to the room. 

The packet was ultimately relinquished and opened, yielding a brownish powder, a piece of plastic tubing and some burnt foil. 

A search of the accused’s cell, next door, led to the discovery of a plastic cup filled with a greenish liquid, later certified as methadone. 

The following month, three days before Christmas, Vella was at the centre of a second incident.

The supervisor noticed several inmates heading towards her cell. 

Dropping by to check what was going on, the official once again spotted Vella placing a hand on the bedside table, shielding a packet from view. 

That packet held several foil pieces, some suspicious substances and an earring. 

Vella faced prosecution over both incidents.

During criminal proceedings, the accused protested her innocence, testifying that the November incident had taken place merely days after her admission to jail following a conviction.

While cleaning out her newly-allocated cell, she had allegedly come across the items, hidden behind a wardrobe, and had gone to the inmate next door to tell her about the discovery.

That was when the supervisor had chanced upon them.

Under cross-examination the accused explained further that at the time of the incident she had been “a newcomer” to the prison system, adding that today she would have acted differently. 

As for the second incident, the Court observed that there was a discrepancy between the time of the alleged incident as stated in the charges, in the testimony of the prosecuting officer and that resulting from the records of the case.

Moreover, in the course of proceedings, the prosecution had dropped the first charge, relating to heroin possession. 

Even so, the substance found in the second incident had not been certified as heroin but as a degraded product, indicative of heroin consumption but not conclusive evidence that the accused had possession of the drug at the time of the incident.  

The prosecution had also failed to prove the charges related to cannabis possession, smuggling drugs into prison as well as recidivism. 

It did however prove the methadone possession, the Court said, observing that the accused’s criminal record showed that she was no newcomer to prison rules. 

She had not alerted prison authorities to the suspicious substance found in her cell, even though, as a drug user, she must have realised what it was, the Court observed,  condemning the accused to a three-month effective jail term.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras presided over the case. 

Lawyer David Gatt was defence counsel.