AN OSWESTRY woman who made and sold crack cocaine will have six months to ‘get clean’ after her sentence was deferred by a crown court judge.

Jane Torrens, 48, was to be sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Wednesday for two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs specifically heroin and cocaine.

But she was given the opportunity to defer by Judge Peter Barrie in order to give up cocaine and cannabis, which Torrens told probation that she was still using.

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The move was welcomed by Robert Edwards, representing Torrens, after separate conversations with probation with the judge and the defendant.

The court was told by prosecutor Olivia Appleby that Torrens pleaded guilty at Telford Magistrates Court to the two counts after her Prince Street home was raided by police.

They found her trying to hide crack cocaine and she told officers immediately that the operation ‘was just me and no-one else’.

A search of her property found 29.7g of diamorphine with a street value of more than £2,000 and 29.6g of cocaine, worth around £3,000.

There was other items of drug paraphernalia found which Ms Appleby said that, according to drug experts, was used to turn powder cocaine into crack cocaine.

Around £450 worth of cannabis was found, £300 in cash plus £2,500 in cash which the prosecution confirmed was from the sale of a car.

Torrens admitted to all offences in interview but added that the crack cocaine was for personal use.

Mr Edwards admitted to the court that the custody threshold had been passed but urged Judge Barrie to consider ways that the sentence could be reduced through orders.

Judge Barrie told Torrens: “One of the striking things about you is that you’re 48 and have never been in trouble before, to your credit.

“I’ve read the assessment from probation about you and I know that you struggled in your childhood in care and found it difficult to settle down into adult life and employment.

“I know you feel into drug use inevitably leading to you building up a drug debt and beyond your means to pay, apart from resolving to dealing.

“I’m sympathetic to that but you were carrying out a substantial operation of heroin and cocaine and played a significant role in that.”

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He added: “But for your sake, the key to your future is stopping using drugs.”

Judge Barrie ordered a six-month drug rehabilitation activity with a scheduled return of Friday, July 12, hoping the defendant returns clean of drugs and eligible for a rehabilitation programme in Shropshire.

Torrens will also return to court once a month for an informal discussion and to produce ‘consistently negative’ drug tests.

Torrens faces a potential custody starting point of four and a half years, which will be reduced by a third for her early guilty plea.