A MOTHER who claims she dealt cocaine and amphetamines to give her teenage son a better life has been jailed. Pearl Paton, 43, of Blake Close, Royston, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after admitting possessing a class A drug with intent to supply, p

A MOTHER who claims she dealt cocaine and amphetamines to give her teenage son a better life has been jailed.

Pearl Paton, 43, of Blake Close, Royston, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after admitting possessing a class A drug with intent to supply, possessing a Class B drug with intent to supply and possession of a small amount of cannabis.

A hearing at Luton Crown Court on Friday heard she had been pressured into supplying drugs by an abusive partner.

Police raided Paton's house on June 10 last year. They found 130 grams of amphetamine with a purity of between three and seven per cent, and six grams of cocaine which were 17 per cent pure.

A set of scales, sealable bags and a dealers list were discovered, along with a small amount of cannabis, said to be for personal use, and 300 counterfeit DVDs.

Paton told police she had lived at the house with her 16-year-old son for some three years.

Asked by the officers why she had got involved with drugs she said it had been to give him a better life.

Elizabeth Dean, defending, said Paton had been involved in a relationship with a man called Edwards who had put pressure on her to deal in drugs.

Talking about the pressure, she said: "It did go as far as domestic violence."

Miss Dean said the man supplied the drugs and took most of the profit, while Paton supplied drugs to associates.

Following her arrest, she said the man had contacted her, warning her not to give his name to the authorities.

Judge Barbara Mensah was told that in June of this year Paton was diagnosed with skin cancer and having had two operations, now faced a third.

She had also been suffering from depression for the last 10 or 11 years for which she was on medication, said Miss Dean.

"She was not at the top end of the chain in terms of supply," said the barrister.

Jailing Paton for 30 months, Judge Mensah said it was clear from the reports that she still did not realise the harm her crimes were responsible for.

She said: "What is of concern to me is that you fail to see the impact of your actions on the wider community, or even on your own son."

The judge ordered the confiscation and the destruction of all the drugs and drug paraphernalia along with the DVDs.