A 68-year-old man was caught smuggling drugs into Norwich prison from the jail's café in chocolate bars, a court has heard.

Terry Levy had been serving a sentence at HMP Norwich following a conviction for a drugs offence.

Norwich Crown Court heard that while working at Café Britannia at the Knox Road site Levy was moving chocolate bars on a trolley into the prison.

Danielle O’Donovan, prosecuting, said two wrapped Mars bars and two wrapped Snickers bars on the trolley were found to contain “illicit substances”, namely cannabis and cocaine.

She said: “It was secreted within the wrappers of the chocolate bars.”

Levy was taken for internal adjudication before the case was referred to the police.

Levy, of Booty Road, Norwich, appeared at court on Tuesday (May 25) having admitted conveying a prohibited article into prison on April 18 2019.

Levy, who was previous drugs convictions, including production of a drug of class B, had provided a basis of plea.

He had said “the only reason I committed this offence was I was in fear for myself, my son and my grandchildren” adding he believed “we were all in serious danger”.

Lynne Shirley, mitigating, said he had put the chocolates in such a position that he knew they would be searched and found.

She said he had been candid and made full admissions.

Judge Maureen Bacon said that those who take drugs into prison were normally sentenced to custody.

But she accepted Levy had been put under some pressure to act in the way he did and made full admissions to his offending.

Judge Bacon said she was taking an “exceptional course” by imposing a two year prison sentence, suspended for 20 months.

She told him “at 68 your wild days are well behind you” but warned that “prison awaits should you fall back into your old ways”.

As previously reported Cafe Britannia, which opened in 2013, closed in August 2019 with huge debts.

Declan Moore, governor of HMP Norwich, said he was "as disappointed as anyone" that the café was having to close but said the building needed significant investment.