BIRTHDAY REQUEST FOR COCAINE ENDS DREAM OF IMMIGRATION

A young couple's dream of settling in New Zealand after emigrating
from Britain is in tatters after the woman was mailed a birthday
present - the class A drug cocaine.

Lynsey Claire Reader, 26, is now serving a three-month jail sentence
imposed in the High Court at Christchurch after the two envelopes
containing the drug were intercepted.

She has never been in trouble before. She was described in court as
being naive and she certainly misjudged New Zealand's border controls.

Justice Chisholm told her: "Like others who have offended in the same
way, you have badly underrated the border control in this country and
the determination to keep drugs out."

Reader and her partner arrived in New Zealand on January 10 on
two-year work visas. Both got full time work - Reader as an order
manager for an Australian company - and they wanted to seek residency
as skilled migrants.

"You asked a friend in Britain to send some cocaine to you for your
birthday. I doubt it takes me to remind you how foolish that was,"
said Justice Chisholm.

Crown prosecutor Catherine Butchard said: "Personal circumstances
cannot be given much weight when we have this clear direction that
imprisonment must be imposed."

On July 3, two envelopes each containing 0.7g of cocaine were
intercepted and a search of the couple's flat in the Christchurch
suburb of New Brighton revealed a text message telling Reader that
the product would be arriving soon.

She pleaded guilty to importing the class A drug.

Defence counsel Gregory Hair said she now faced New Zealand
Immigration revoking her visa and being deported when the sentence
was complete.

The conviction would create barriers for any further travel beyond Britain.

The probation report prepared for the sentencing suggested a
substantial fine, and Mr Hair said money could be made available from
Britain to pay that.

Justice Chisholm said he accepted that apart from being thoroughly
stupid, the request to send the drugs was largely spontaneous. They
were for her personal use.

"At a personal level, it isn't difficult to feel considerable
sympathy with you, especially as a parent.

"But you will understand that as a judge my responsibilities go much
further than that."

He jailed Reader for three months, allowed leave to apply for home
detention, but declined to defer the start of the prison term to
allow her make the application to serve the time at home.

Detective Leairne Dow, of the Christchurch police, said charges could
be laid against the person who had mailed the cocaine to New Zealand.

"I understand Customs has contacted the relevant authorities," she
said. The Customs Service had played a major role in the conviction
of Reader after it traced the parcel and then tried to find out its
origin and more about the intended recipient.