A drug addict who attempted to smuggle heroin into a women's prison for his inmate girlfriend has been jailed for three years.

Darren Fry slipped Claire Atkinson a wrap of the class A drug when he visited her at HMP Eastwood Park, at Falfield, near Thornbury.

But the covert handover was spotted by prison staff watching on CCTV and 39-year-old Fry was arrested.

More heroin was then found in his car at the prison.

He later pleaded guilty to one charge of supplying heroin and one charge of possessing heroin and was jailed for three years at Bristol Crown Court yesterday.

John Penny, prosecuting, said homeless Fry was caught passing £118 worth of heroin to his girlfriend Claire Atkinson, who was recovering after hospital treatment, on December 31 last year.

Philip Warren, defending, said Atkinson went into custody in November last year and between Christmas and New Year Fry heard that his girlfriend had been hospitalised.

He said she had had an appendectomy and an ovarian cyst removed before being returned to prison.

The court heard Atkinson had asked the defendant to bring her some heroin.

Mr Warren said: "She was in pain and he was concerned she would harm herself. His response was to go out and buy 5g of heroin.

"He took an extreme risk in doing that.

"This was a crime of compassion rather than greed."

Jailing Fry, Judge Julian Lambert said: "Any supply of class A drugs is serious. Supply to a serving prisoner, not withstanding the fact you were begged to do it, is more serious still.

"You are a hopeless drug addict and have seen over the years the effects drugs have."