A woman who almost died when she was allegedly stabbed by a former boyfriend was yesterday sentenced for 18 months in jail for smuggling drugs into prison where she served as a nurse.

Jacqueline Dipasquale, 47, originally from Ħamrun but who lives in Swieqi, supplied drugs to two prisoners in September 2008 and December 2009, when she was caught red-handed carrying cannabis and heroin.

Ms Dipasquale, a separated mother-of-two, was arrested on December 2, 2009, when Drug Squad police officers found heroin hidden in her cardigan pocket. Three sachets containing cannabis were found hidden in her vagina later.

She immediately spilt the beans, giving the police the names of the two prisoners for whom the drugs were intended.

She said that one of the prisoners’ brother had supplied the drug and paid her €50 for every consignment. She could not remember how many times she had smuggled drugs into prison but told the police she had been doing it for about three months, with a consignment every fortnight.

Regarding the cannabis, the nurse said it was the inmate’s partner who supplied the drug and also paid her €50 for every delivery. She had been supplying this inmate with drugs and alcohol for about a month and a half.

She had been supplying this inmate with drugs and alcohol for about a month and a half

Regarding Tramal and Voltaren pills found in her handbag, Ms Dipasquale said these were for prisoners who were in pain or those who were suffering from drug withdrawal symptoms because “she felt sorry for them”.

The court heard that the police found a total of 8.20 grams of heroin and 3.3 grams of cannabis.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras noted that although Ms Dipasquale did not plead guilty to the charges brought against her, she cooperated with the police who were able to arraign people in connection with the case.

The police had charged Rita Camilleri, 45, of Ħamrun and Kevin Zammit, 42, of Pietà with supplying the drugs to Ms Dipasquale to pass on to inmates. Their cases are still pending.

In a pre-sentencing report, the court was informed that the nurse had never abused of drugs and had accepted to make the deliveries because she was not managing to make ends meet.

Apart from the jail term, the accused was also fined €1,200 and ordered to pay €300 in court expenses. The magistrate drew the attention of the prison director to ensure that Ms Dipasquale is kept in a separate division from where the prisoners she mentioned as the recipients of the drugs were held.

Police Inspector Pierre Grech prosecuted.

In September 2012, Ms Dipasquale, who worked for nursing organisation MMDNA, was allegedly repeatedly stabbed by her former partner, Noel Calleja, 32, from Santa Venera. She had at least 12 stab wounds in her abdomen, back and face. She also sustained facial injuries and lost an eye during the attack.

The incident happened after the two had an argument while sitting in an MMDNA car in Ta’ Farsina, Qormi. The nurse was left lying face down in a pool of blood. Her colleague, a trainee nurse, who was also in the car, was not injured.

After more than 14 hours on the run, Mr Calleja was arrested at a farm in Qormi. After his capture, he accompanied officers to a block of apartments at the Ta’ Farsina housing estate to retrieve the weapon used. There, he escaped, jumped over a ledge on the rood and sat on a horizontal flagpole, threatening to commit suicide.

After a five-hour drama, Mr Calleja was convinced to turn himself in by Magistrate Ian Farrugia who had arrived on the scene.

The case is still pending but, in October 2013, Mr Calleja was jailed for three years for stabbing another former girlfriend in 2011.