A MAN caught with thousands of pounds worth of drugs and other contraband he was going to hurl over a wall into Erlestoke prison has been jailed for 18 months.

Kerrin Riddle also had three mobile phones, USB cables, needles and syringes when he was caught hiding in the undergrowth outside the perimeter fence.

The 25-year-old, who was kitted out in camouflage trousers, said he had been awaiting a phone call to tell him when to throw the bag over the fence.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how officers spotted him during a patrol outside the perimeter fence on the morning of December 20.

They saw him lying on the ground in undergrowth and as they approached he got up and walked away, leaving behind a Sainsbury's carrier bag.

When officers looked inside it they found needles, pills, ampoules, bottles, mobile phones and cables.

Mr Meeke said that when the drugs were analysed they were found to include a legal high called Spice as well as testosterone, diazepam and other steroids.

"All were contraband and the introduction of each and every one is prohibited in prison," he said.

"The drugs had a street value of about £2,000 but one can multiply that four or five-fold inside the prison walls so possibly £10,000 worth inside prison.

"He said he had a heroin habit. He built up a debt to a dealer. This was the way he had been told to pay off his debt."

He said that he had been handed the items and told to wrap them up and wait for a phone call at about 10am and throw them over the wall.

Riddle, of Radstock, admitted two counts of attempting to convey a prohibited article into a prison and one of possessing class C drugs with intent to supply.

The court heard he was put on an eight-week suspended sentence in May last year for driving while unfit through drugs.

Charley Pattison, defending, said that he knew what he was doing was wrong but he felt under pressure from his dealers to do it.

After running up debts of about £2,000, having got drugs on tick, he was told that throwing the bag over the wall would wipe out what he owed.

Jailing him, Judge Tim Mousley QC said: "This was an organised way of getting items into the prison. It was clearly carefully planned and you played a critical part.

"There is a need to a pass a sentence that will not only deter you from doing this in the future but will deter others from doing this sort of thing, despite their personal circumstances.

"We are all aware of the prevalence of Spice and other items within prison and that is a significant fact in passing sentence on you today."