Courtney Wild: Smirking Sheffield drug dealer gave birth behind bars

This is the smirking face of an 'enthusiastic' Sheffield drug dealer, who has given birth while on remand in custody.

Judge Graham Reeds described defendant, Courtney Wild, as being the 'enthusiastic employee' of a drugs line operating in the city.

She was arrested during a police raid of a property in Heeley in February 2023, which was carried out as part of South Yorkshire Police’s Operation Fortify. 

During a hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on February 1, 2024, Judge Reeds told Wild: "Around a year ago, you had become involved with the business of supplying Class A drugs.

"You were an enthusiastic employee in a drugs line…as was the case here, they often involve direct supply to street users.

"There’s no doubt in my mind that you knew the scale of the operation…you knew what was going on. You were not at risk of exploitation, you were a volunteer in what you did."

Judge Reeds said Wild was taken into custody in February 2023, and following a routine scan was found to be pregnant. 

Prosecutor, Amy Earnshaw, and Wild’s defence barrister, Vanessa Saxton, both agreed that Wild was 'unaware' of the pregnancy at the time she was taken into custody. 

Judge Reeds said: "You had no prior knowledge of your pregnancy, and it must have been a considerable shock to your system, given the long sentence you were facing…and your drug abuse prior to being remanded."

The court heard how Wild subsequently 'gave birth in prison' and her child - who is now four-months-old - could potentially remain with her there until he reaches the age of 18 months. 

Wild, aged 26, of Chesterfield Road, Woodseats, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, namely heroin and crack cocaine, and possession with intent to supply heroin at an earlier hearing.

The court was told Wild has previous drug matters recorded against her, and some of the last year she has spent in custody has been on recall for another custodial sentence.

Ms Saxton said Wild was responding well in custody, and now hopes to put things 'behind her'.

Judge Reeds said he agreed with Ms Saxton that Wild’s pregnancy and care for a child meant that she met the criteria for 'exceptional circumstances'. 

"Fundamentally, it means the court has to consider the child having a significant part of its early development in prison," Judge Reeds said.

He said that absent of any mitigation advanced on Wild’s behalf, he was considering a sentence in the region of six years.

Judge Reeds asked both barristers to read through relevant case law he had recommended to see whether they both agreed a reduction in sentence was appropriate; and if so, the approximate reduction they believed her case merited. 

Following a brief adjournment, Ms Earnshaw suggested a reduction of around a year was appropriate. 

Judge Reeds said he found the sentencing exercise to be a difficult one, and had taken the relevant case law, and the barristers’ submissions into consideration. 

He said he felt it just to reduce Wild’s sentence from the six-year point he had in mind, to one of three years' imprisonment. 

"You will spend up to half of that sentence in prison. Time on remand will count [towards it], time on recall, won’t. It may be the case that you can continue in prison with your child, and when he gets to 18-months it may mean you can be released together."