A WOMAN who allowed her home to be used for drug dealing has been spared jail after a judge heard she had made “remarkable progress” turning her life around.
 

Faye Rawlings, who has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, let two men stay in her room in a shared house which was also used for the trade in heroin and crack cocaine.
 

But after the pair from London escaped prosecution, a judge at Swindon Crown Court decided not to jail her.
George Threlfall, prosecuting, said 29-year-old Rawlings and the men were spotted on Manchester Road at about 4pm on Thursday, November 22, 2012.
He said they were detained for a drug search and found to have nothing on them, although one of the men had two mobile phones and £260 in cash. Both men had phone numbers for known dealers and the other man also had the keys to Rawlings’ flat.
 

Police then went to search the room in a property on Knowsley Road, Park South, where she said the two men had been staying with her.
In her four metre by four metre square room officers found a number of men’s coats hanging on the back of the door, including a white hoodie with a bag in the pocket.
 

Mr Threlfall said: “She visibly paled and said, ‘I didn’t know that was there’. In it there were three hard balls about the size of golf balls.”
 

He said the balls, two in blue polythene and one white polythene bags, contained heroin and crack cocaine with a street value of £4,880.
 

When she was questioned she told the police that any drugs found in the flat were nothing to do with her.
 

Although she said she sometimes smoked heroin and crack, she said her real problem was with alcohol.
 

Rawlings, of Wharf Road, Wroughton, pleaded guilty to permitting her premises to be used for the supply of a controlled drug.
 

She had been charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply but they were dropped on the morning of the trial when she admitted the other offence.
The court heard she has a number of previous convictions, including for theft and violence, but none for drugs offences.
 

Passing sentence, Judge Douglas Field said: “You are 29 and you have pleaded guilty on the day of your trial to permitting your premises to be used for the supply of a controlled drug.
 

“You are a young lady who over recent years has had serious problems with drugs and alcohol and at times have hit rock bottom, but in recent times has made quite remarkable progress with your problems.
 

“You have gone to the Nelson Trust rehabilitation where you did well. You are now at a stable address.
 

“The probation officer has given you a very positive report in the pre-sentence report. I think it is not in the public interest to send you to custody but to allow you to continue with the good progress you have made.”
He imposed a one-year community order with supervision and 100 hours of unpaid work.
 

A 46-year-old from Plaistow, East London, had the drug dealing case against him dropped after prosecutors failed to disclose all of their evidence. The other man was never charged.