Prison officer with a ‘green thumb’ denies smuggling tobacco and phone chargers into jail for an inmate
- Prison officer Louise Bud has been accused of smuggling tobacco into NSW jail
- Bud allegedly hid tobacco inside a bin at Mid North Coast Correctional Centre
- The 50-year-old officer is on bail and was suspended from duties at the prison
A female prison officer who allegedly smuggled contraband including a pouch of tobacco into jail for an inmate has faced a New South Wales court.
Louise Margaret Bud, 50, appeared before a Port Macquarie magistrate accused of stowing tobacco and mobile phone chargers into the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre last July.
Wearing a black blazer over a dark floral dress, Bud carried a folder and handbag as she arrived at a hearing in which a number of witnesses were due to give evidence on Monday.
Louise Margaret Bud, 50, appeared in Port Macquarie Local Court accused of stowing tobacco and mobile phone chargers into the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre last July
Wearing a black blazer over a dark floral dress, Bud carried a folder and handbag as she arrived to at a hearing in which a number of key witnesses were due to give evidence on Monday.
Police previously told the court the prosecution was case strong, stating there was CCTV evidence of the incident, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Bud allegedly placed a plastic bag which contained a 30g tobacco pouch and two mobile phone chargers inside a green waste bin to be collected by an inmate.
Several police were due to give evidence, along with two witnesses for the defence. Bud pleaded not guilty in November.
Mid North Coast Correctional Centre is a maximum, medium and minimum security jails for males and females at Aldavilla, 14km west of Kempsey and 455km north of Sydney.
In June 2017 Bud was the face of a Corrective Services NSW initiative in which female inmates at the prison bred worms for donation to local schools.
‘Mid North Coast correctional officer Louise Bud isn’t afraid to bury her hands in a pile of wriggling worms – and now she is encouraging school kids to do the same,’ a press release said at the time.
Following extensive investigations, detectives arrested Bud at a home at Port Macquarie on September 1, a day before her 50th birthday.
In June 2017 Bud (left) was the face of a Corrective Services NSW initiative at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre in which female inmates bred worms for donation to local schools
Bud was described as the jail’s ‘resident green thumb’ as she introduced students from Aldavilla Primary School and Green Hill Public School to concepts of recycling and maintaining worm farms.
‘During my time at Mid North Coast I’ve been able to restore the worm farms there, so it has been a really great experience to visit schools and pass that knowledge onto their environmental teams,’ Bud said.
‘Some of the kids can be quite fearful of handling the worms, but once they overcome that you can see how much they get out of it.
‘For me it’s not only about breaking down barriers and connecting with these kids, it’s about teaching them something worthwhile and making a positive contribution to the community.’
Mid North Coast Correctional Centre (pictured) is a maximum, medium and minimum security jails for males and females at Aldavilla, 14km west of Kempsey and 455km north of Sydney
Detectives from the Corrective Services Investigation Unit established Strike Force Acres last August to investigate the introduction of contraband by a female correctional officer.
Following extensive investigations, detectives arrested Bud at a home at Port Macquarie on September 1, a day before her 50th birthday.
She was taken to Port Macquarie police station and charged with unlawfully secrete thing for inmate to receive.
She was released on bail and suspended from duties.
Bud has no prior record of offending, having only appeared before court on one traffic-related matter in 2018.
Her case was part-heard and adjourned until June 29.
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