CONVICTS who concoct plots to secretly smuggle forbidden items into prison will be slapped with harsh jail terms, a judge has warned.

Judge Maria Lamb said criminals must be treated 'severely' by the courts when caught hustling items, which are 'exploited' by inmates, into jail.

Her remarks came as she locked up defendant Oliver Best for eight months after he tried to sneak a mobile phone into Bullingdon Prison.

Sitting at Oxford Crown Court last Wednesday, the judge said: "Those who seek to smuggle articles into a prison must expect deterrent sentences of some length.

"Smuggling these sorts of items into prison represents a threat to the good order of the prison and represents a significant threat to the safety of the prison staff and other inmates.

"It gives rise to the opportunity for anybody in possession of such an item to contact others outside the prison and use it for a variety and range of uses."

Defendants caught smuggling mobile phones into prison can face up to two years behind bars or a fine.

Best, who was sent to the Bicester jail after being sentenced for domestic violence offences, was searched by prison officers on arrival.

A Samsung mobile phone and battery were uncovered secreted under an insole of the 28-year-old's trainers, prosecutor Christopher Hewertson said.

The convict claimed smuggling the banned phone was 'worth a go' after successfully bypassing police officers during an earlier search, the court was told.

Best confessed to interviewing officers he should have declared the phone, claiming he did not want his girlfriend to spot 'incriminating' messages.

Defence barrister Gavin Holme said Best's cannabis use led him 'down the wrong path' after he began dabbling with the drug since the age of 21.

The defendant, who had 16 convictions for 32 offences, did not intent to take the phone into jail, he added.

Best, of Austen Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, admitted bringing a prohibited article into prison on September 12 last year and must pay a victim surcharge.