London crack queen jailed

A woman involved in almost every crack house known to west London police has been jailed for three years.

Joanne Dowling, 32, made life a "misery" for neighbours of the dens - which attracted addicts throughout the night who raided adjoining apartments to fund their latest fix and forced tenants to flee their homes.

Dowling was often seen "staggering around" by police with bloodshot eyes but they were powerless to detain her.

In May 2003 the High Court heard that Dowling and two other "crack queens" ran as many as 12 dens in north Kensington and Notting Hill.

They transported crack to the dens and would conceal £700 to £1,000 worth of the drug inside their bodies.

Police were unable to conduct intimate searches without their consent, so they were free to pass from house to house.

Mr Justice Ouseley had issued an exclusion order against Dowling, of St John's Wood, banning her from north Kensington.

Dowling was jailed for three years yesterday after admitting attempting to smuggle cocaine to a boyfriend in Paddington Green Police Station.