A mother-of-two has been banned from every jail in Britain after she gave her locked-up fiancé what she claims was a Fruit Pastel during a visit.
Bosses at HMP Holme House in Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside, have barred Melissa Hopper from visiting her baby’s father David Scott for six months.
Prison bosses said CCTV caught her passing the convicted drug gang member an ‘unauthorised article’ during a visit.
A mother-of-two has been banned from every jail in Britain after she gave her locked-up fiancé what she claims was a Fruit Pastel during a visit
But Ms Hopper, 26, said: ‘They obviously think it was drugs but it was just a Fruit Pastille that was thrown down a top.
‘We were just having a laugh but now our baby might not be able to see her dad.
‘The baby needs to know her dad and I’m suffering from depression, so this is just making it worse.’
Ms Hopper claims Scott picked the sweet up and ate it during a visit on November 10.
Ms Hopper said: ‘They won’t say exactly what it is but they have basically implied he’s taken drugs, yet offered no proof.
‘If it was drugs, why didn’t they drug test or nick him?
‘It was just a sweet and of course it is going to get eaten – what do they expect me to do, bin it?’
In March, Scott, 32, of High Newham, Hardwick, was locked up for more than six years for his role in a multi-million pound trans-Pennine plot to flood Teesside’s streets with heroin.
But Ms Hopper is now banned from all British jails for six months.
After that she faces another six months of ‘closed visits’, which means the pair will be separated by a panel.
Bosses at HMP Holme House in Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside (pictured), have barred Melissa Hopper from visiting her baby’s father David Scott for six months. Prison bosses said CCTV caught her passing the convicted drug gang member an ‘unauthorised article’ during a visit
Ms Hopper said: It means I can’t touch him, and neither can his daughter, it’s his family who will suffer.’
Ms Hopper claims to have contacted both a solicitor and her Stockton North MP, Labour’s Alex Cunningham, to try to get the ban quashed.
However the Ministry of Justice appear set to hold firm over the ban.
An MoJ spokesperson said: ‘We do not tolerate anyone breaking prison rules, and those that do so will face appropriate disciplinary action.’
HMP Holme House is currently spending millions of pounds to stamp out drug use and increase security.
Last year it was announced that £9m will fund new body scanners to crack down on the use of new psychoactive substances, most commonly spice.
Earlier this year, the category B jail was put in lockdown after staff fell sick inhaling spice fumes.