Alicia Jane Austin succumbed to silent tears as she appeared in court via video link from Newcastle Local Court with her two young children beside her. 

According to police facts tendered to the court, Austin was carrying 30 square tablets in water balloons, concealed in clear glad-wrap in the waist of her pants when she visited the centre on June 13 last year. 

Charged with one count of supplying prohibited drug buprenorphine, magistrate Erin Kennedy said she was horrified Austin had put herself in the position as she sentenced her to 250 hours community service. 

“You are in control and you need to make sure you’re not exposing your young kids to this,” Ms Kennedy said. 

“Taking anything into a correctional facility is so serious and if it were not for a clean record, you would have gone to prison today.”