MONTEGO BAY, St James - A pregnant 26-year-old interior designer who had expected to escape jail time after pleading guilty to possession of, dealing in, and attempting to export three pounds of cocaine, had her hopes dashed yesterday when St James Senior Resident Magistrate Winsome Henry sentenced her to 18 months in prison.

Kerry Ann Bailey-Roach, the court heard, was making her 11th trip to the United States - ostensibly to visit her husband, a student there - when the police nabbed her with the illegal contraband in November.

Her lawyer, George Thomas, begged the judge to structure the sentence so that his client's baby - due next March - would not be born in jail.

"I'm asking, not so much for Kerry Ann but for the unborn child who has done nothing wrong and shouldn't have to be born with a stigma," he pleaded.

However, the judge, who noted that Bailey-Roach was the third pregnant woman to come before her court for drug-smuggling this year, said she couldn't oblige him as the effect would be to send a message to the masterminds behind drug-smuggling attempts that pregnant women could get away with the crime. Additionally, the judge pointed out, Bailey-Roach would have ended up wreaking havoc in the lives of other young innocents if she had succeeded in getting the contraband through.

Bailey-Roach will serve concurrent sentences of 18 months plus $250,000 for possession; 18 months for dealing and 18 months plus $500,000 for attempting to export the drug.

Failure to pay either of the fines will result in the imposition of additional six-month sentences.