A WOMAN who tried to hide ecstasy tablets down the back of a seat in a Worcester nightclub has been jailed for two years.

Samantha Pheysey, who had no previous convictions, was watched by a doorman for 30 minutes in Tramps.

He saw a number of people approach a man sitting next to her and suspected that drug dealing was going on, Worcester Crown Court heard.

A purse containing ten ecstasy pills was seized, although Pheysey denied the purse belonged to her.

She was convicted by a jury last month of possession of ecstasy with intent to supply.

Sentencing 21-year-old Pheysey, of Astwood Road, Worcester, Judge John Cavell said it was sad to see her in the dock. It gave him no pleasure to carry out his public duty to jail her.

He treated her offence as out of character and said he realised the dramatic effect prison would have.

But the judge said drug trafficking in nightclubs was a constant problem.

Doormen were employed to try and stop it.

The court heard that Pheysey and the man were put under surveillance by a doorman on January 20.

At one stage, he saw the man direct a club customer to speak to the defendant.

He watched as her hand came out as if she was passing something.

She then put a hand down the back of the seat and the purse was discovered.

Prosecutor David Iles said there was no evidence of commercial transactions and no forfeiture order under the drug trafficking laws.

Pheysey claimed the purse was being passed around a group of friends that night, said Michael Garrett, defending. It contained the group's drugs.

He said Pheysey was a shy, lonely, intelligent woman who turned to recreational drugs and heavy drinking after the break-up of a love affair.

She had worked in a pub and was now employed by a florist. Her arrest had come as a great shock and made her reassess her lifestyle.