A woman who was caught with drugs stuffed inside her bra during a drugs bust has been fined.

Stunned officers watched Kelly Fleming pluck Diazepam from her underwear.

The 33-year-old then tried to stuff them in her mouth - but she was spotted and quickly arrested.

North Tyneside Magistrates' Court heard police only executed the warrant due to a tip-off -  which turned out to be bogus.

"In some respects she's a bit unlucky," claimed her solicitor Martin Crowe.

"They were not looking for a few tablets, so the information they received turned out to be invalid."

Diazepam, which was initially marketed as Valium, is legal if prescribed.

But Fleming had bought the pills on the street using some of the £500-a-month she receives in Employment Support Allowance.

Tuesday's sentencing heard she only had a "small quantity" when stopped on May 24.

Mitigating, her brief claimed she could have been dealt with via caution.

However, she pleaded guilty to possessing a Class C controlled drug and was handed a 12-month conditional discharge.

Explaining what happened, Mr Crowe said Fleming "had taken out some Valium tablet from her bra" when police arrived.

"She put them in her mouth as she's adjusted herself," he added, claiming the Newcastle woman hadn't been in trouble with the police for five years when she was cautioned for resisting a PC.

However, she still owes over £240 to the court from previous outstanding misdemeanors.

The defendant, of Chatsworth Gardens, was ordered to pay £45 in costs and a £20 charge.