A British mother who bought $460 worth of cocaine for her daughter's 18th birthday has avoided jail for now.
In January, police raided 37-year-old Nicola Austen's home in Kent, England, where a drug-sniffing dog found nearly 6 grams of cocaine stashed in the woman's bedroom window, reports Softpedia.
In court, Austen admitted to possessing the cocaine and explained that she had bought it as a birthday gift for her daughter, in the hopes that it would help the two bond and enjoy their special night.
"They were going to London in a limousine, and she wanted to ensure they had a good time," prosecutor Craig Evans said.
The judge believed Austen when she said that she did not plan to distribute the drugs more widely. He gave the mother of three a sentence of nine months in jail, suspended for a year. She must also complete 250 hours of unpaid work.
"That is meant to be an onerous requirement which, no doubt, you will find difficulty in fulfilling," the judge said, according to the Daily Mail.
Defense attorney Danny Moore told the court that if they jailed Austen, there would be a negative effect on her 14-year-old son and her elderly grandmother, both of whom she cares for.
"It is to her great shame she finds herself in court," Moore added. "She appeared to have left this sort of thing behind."
The partying mom, who showed up to court with a packed bag, has six previous convictions, including some for drug possession.
Austen, who lives with her husband, son and daughter, as well as her daughter's partner and son, is tired of all the negative attention she has received from this case.
"It’s all been blown out of proportion," she said. "I’ve had enough. It isn’t exactly the scoop of the century, is it? It was a party."