Mom Buys Cocaine For Daughter’s 18th Birthday, Avoids Jail

A mom in the U.K. was caught with nearly $1,000 worth of cocaine she said she bought to celebrate her daughter's 18th birthday.

Nicola Austen, 37, had nearly 6 grams of the drug at home where she was arrested. She told the court it was a gift for her teenage daughter and planned to snort the cocaine with her to "have a good time" on a night out in London.

Austen's plan was found out when Maidstone Crown Court in England heard she had booked a limousine and planned to take the drug with her to surprise her daughter on her 18th birthday.

Defense attorney Danny Moore said it was a "great shame" that Austen landed in court. "She appeared to have left this sort of thing behind," he said.

The mom has 6 previous convictions, including one for possessing amphetamines in 2010.

Austen was handed 9 months in jail, suspended for a year, and ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work. She avoided jail time.