A former prison officer and members of a highly organized north London criminal network have been jailed for a combined total of 25 years for running a sophisticated contraband smuggling operation into HMP Isis. The gang, directed by 26-year-old “kingpin” Olusegan Shobanjo, successfully smuggled items including mobile phones, cannabis, vape oil, and USB sticks loaded […]
A prison officer has been sentenced after smuggling thousands of drugs and several other contraband into the prison where he worked. Matthew Langdown, 36, of Yate was sentenced to prison along with three other people at Bristol Crown Court. Brian Grady, 39, of no fixed abode, Paul O’Shea, 43 of Wick Road, Bristol and 34-year-old […]
A prison officer will appear in crown court over allegedly bringing drugs, phones, and chargers into HMP The Mount. Andre Gomes is also accused of wilful misconduct in a public office, having criminal property, multiple drug possession with intent to supply charges, and failing to provide the key to protected information. Because the misconduct offence […]
A woman attempted to smuggle drugs and phones into a Norfolk jail in a pair of trainers, a court has heard. Natasha Berritt, 42, had been wearing the white Nike shoes when she went to Norwich prison to visit inmate Reuben Jacobs. Norwich Crown Court was told the pair were caught after being spotted trying […]
A bungling prison officer who “accidentally” filmed her own illegal activity with an inmate has been jailed. Katie Coles, 24, was recorded giving an inmate an unauthorised tub of pre-workout powder at HMP Chelmsford. Recorder Paul Donegan said Coles knew what she was doing was wrong, adding that she had left herself “vulnerable to requests […]
A 61-year-old woman has been jailed after sneaking drugs into prison. Tanya Petrie, a former pharmacy technician at HMP Bristol, “abused her position of trust” to smuggle drugs into prison. Petrie, from Worle, Weston-Super-Mare, was caught after police observed her retrieving a package from a residential wheelie bin in Somerdale Avenue in Bristol. She then […]
A criminology graduate became a criminal herself after trying to smuggle drugs into jail when she found a job as a prison officer. Myra Shabab, 26, narrowly avoided being sent to prison as an inmate after the smuggling bid was detected by a sniffer dog at HMP Manchester, also known as Strangeways. Shabab, from Bury, […]
A prison officer has been jailed after smuggling £100k worth of drugs inside food tins into a prison and stashing them in a dishwasher. Julia Watson, 61, abused her position to sneak cannabis, ketamine and spice into HMP Garth in Lancashire. The ex-officer, of Cheetham Meadow, Leyland, Lancs., worked in the prison’s waste management unit and had been employed […]
A prison officer told an inmate she ‘loves her job but loves him more’ during their ‘romantic and intimate’ relationship, a trial has heard. Charlotte Winstanley, now 27, started a sexual relationship with gang member Jabhari Blair, 30, soon after she started working at the Lindholme Prison, near Doncaster, and smuggled in a range of […]
A mum who was caught smuggling drugs and SIM cards into prison after her ex ‘threatened her family’ has been spared jail. Margaret Farrell, 30, was stopped by prison officers in HMP Forest Bank after activating the metal detector at the search area. After a pat down, officers discovered a package concealed in her trousers. […]
A woman who passed drugs to her partner while they hugged during a New Year’s Eve prison visit has kept her freedom. Tracey Connolly handed over the package to Steven Gill during an embrace in the visitors hall at HMP Northumberland, where he was an inmate, on December 31, 2024. Newcastle Crown Court heard the […]
A mum who took drugs into prison during a visit with an inmate has kept her freedom. Yazmin Sirmond was seen reaching into her jumper to retrieve an item while chatting to a prisoner during a social visit at HMP Northumberland in May last year (2025). Newcastle Crown Court staff quickly intervened and Sirmond handed […]