Prison worker who shared inmate information jailed

 A prison staff member who shared information about an inmate with a friend has been jailed for 21 months.

Courtney Harrison, an administrative staff member at HMP Moorland, near Doncaster, shared details about prisoner George Tunney in 2023, which later ended up being shared to Tunney's phone

Harrison, 27, of Edlington, was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court after admitting misconduct in a public office and unauthorised access to computer material.

She had also searched for the files of high-profile murderers Lucy Letby, Harold Shipman and Rose West, which Recorder of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson described as "completely improper".

But the "really serious aspect" of her offending was related to the Tunney searches, he said.

Harrison's friend and former colleague had "some sort of connection" to the inmate, the judge said, and had asked her to share confidential information about him over email.

"[Harrison] is not a woman with great confidence and could not reject the somewhat predatory request of this woman," he added.

She had seen the friend as a "sister" and had a "desperation to maintain a friendship" with her, the court heard.

Tunney absconded soon after receiving the information for a number of weeks and was later found in the south of England, the court heard, although there was "no direct evidence" that the information had helped him to do so.

Judge Richardson said Harrison was "very young", having been aged 23 at the time of offending, and was "immature and lonely".

But he said an "example had to be made" when prison officials breached the "considerable responsibility and trust" placed in them.

"It is a very sad day when somebody like you needs to be sent to prison, but good people on occasions commit wrongs, and the wrongs you committed were criminal and they were serious," he told Harrison.

Officer at HMP Berwyn sentenced for illegally accessing prisoner database

 *A “naïve” prison officer at HMP Berwyn has been handed a nine-month suspended sentence after she admitted accessing sensitive information on a prison computer on behalf of a prisoner.

Mold Crown Court heard how the 26-year-old woman was employed as an officer in May 2023. In November the following year, information came to light suggesting she had been “forming inappropriate relationships”. The court heard that during calls with one man, who had left Berwyn and was being held at another prison, they discussed staff shift patterns and other prisoners at Berwyn. 

The officer spoke to the prisoner on the telephone under a false name. She checked the prison database more than 100 times in respect of the prisoner and an associate of his, when she had no valid reason to do so.

The prosecution accepted that the woman had pleaded on the basis she was not in a romantic relationship with the prisoner, nor that cash paid into her bank account had come from either the prisoner or his associate. She pleaded guilty to unauthorised access of the computer system.

The woman’s counsel said: “She knows how stupid she has been. She is not just sorry but deeply ashamed.” It was heard the Master’s degree-educated woman had a stable relationship, a new job and was returning to university to continue further studies.

The presiding judge, Recorder John Philpotts, told her: “Corruption undermines the whole fabric of the work prisons do and other people must be deterred from behaving in the way you did.” In addition to her suspended sentence she was ordered to complete 10 days of rehabilitation, do 200 hours of community service, and pay £1,000 towards prosecution costs.

 

‘We fought for a tougher sentence’: victims’ families’ fury over early release scheme

Partner of woman killed by dangerous driver among those who say they are devastated at killers leaving jail early

When Calvin Buckley, whose pregnant partner was killed by a dangerous driver in 2023, secured a tougher sentence for the man who took her life, he felt some justice had been served. Now, under plans to release prisoners early to ease overcrowding, Adil Iqbal, who filmed himself speeding at 123mph before he crashed into 38-year-old Frankie Jules-Hough, may serve less time in prison than he would have under his original sentence.

“He could actually serve less time than he originally was going to before we appealed,” Buckley said. “We’ve fought for a tougher sentence. What is the point of having an actual sentence if the government can just reduce that?”

Victims and bereaved family members who fear perpetrators could be released early under government plans to free up prison space say they are deeply concerned at the prospect of dangerous offenders walking the streets.

Gemma Chappell, the great-aunt of Maya Chappell, who was shaken to death aged two by her mother’s boyfriend in 2022, said the early release scheme was further traumatising bereaved families.

Maya’s mother, Dana Carr, was sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of child cruelty by neglect and allowing her child’s death, but Chappell has been told she is set to be released early under the scheme.

“I think it’s terrible. I think victims are not being heard. We should be allowed to grieve, we should be allowed to have our trauma,” she said.

Chappell said it was “ridiculous” that Carr had made no admission of guilt and applied to have her sentence reduced, which was denied, but was now set to be released early anyway due to overcrowding.

She said she welcomed Andy Burnham’s intervention to exempt rapists, serious child sexual abuse offenders and those convicted of grooming from the early release plans but said it didn’t go far enough.

“There’s still victims and families out there who remain deeply concerned about these dangerous offenders getting out early, and we’re one of them. Justice should always be about public safety and the victim’s voice first,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

A former prison officer, Chappell said she wanted the government to invest more money in prison buildings instead. “Letting serious offenders out on to the street is not the answer,” she said. “We need some clarity on what’s going to happen if these offenders do get out because this affects our lifetime, not just the next couple of months.”

Buckley said he was devastated to find driving offenders would not be exempted from the plans. “To kill somebody and to have your [prison] sentence reduced is just not right. Our justice has been taken away,” he told BBC Breakfast.

“I understand there is a crisis, I agree that it needs to be addressed, but not at the expense of victims. For me it is another example of road victims not being treated the same as other offences.”

Iqbal was originally sentenced to 12 years for killing Jules-Hough and her unborn child, Neeve. This was increased to 15 years by the court of appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

Buckley said he was told Iqbal would serve a minimum of two-thirds of his original 12-year sentence – eight years – in prison. But under the new plans he could be eligible for release after half of his 15-year sentence, or seven and a half years.

The government has also been criticised for its decision not to exempt domestic abuse perpetrators from the early release scheme.

Alice Russell-Harris, the public affairs lead at Refuge, said the organisation was “deeply alarmed” and that the move would “put many domestic abuse survivors at risk”.

She said releasing domestic abusers early would “heighten survivors’ fears for their safety” and the charity was aware that perpetrators “frequently breach conditions to continue their campaign of abuse”.

The family of PC Andrew Harper, who was killed while responding to a report of a burglary in 2019, said they were devastated to learn two of the men jailed for his death would still be eligible for release.

Harper was killed after being dragged behind a car for a mile. Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were passengers in the car and sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter, could apply for early release after serving half of their sentences.

“Andrew deserves better than this and so do we,” his mother, Debbie Adlam said. “It feels like we’re letting Andrew down again. We’ve been through the justice system, we thought we’d done as best as we could. Apparently, the situation is, if nothing was done, then the prison system would fall completely. But we’re paying the price for it.”

Prison officers deal drugs and ask inmates for sex, BBC told

 Next to a vandalised wire fence opposite HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, 28-year-old Beatrice Auty brushes away tears. The memories of her time inside the jail are too much to bear.

She served more than a year here for money laundering, and claims she was sexually harassed by a male prison officer.

“He made me feel very uncomfortable,” Auty says. “He commented on my appearance - a lot. He suggested he wanted to come to my cell - I feel if I had been up for it, he would have wanted sexual favours.”

Auty says she reported what happened, and told us she’s spoken to other women who have had similar experiences with the same guard, who made “comments about their breasts” and “how he would want [oral sex] from them”.

With prisons across the country running out of cells and the government releasing offenders early to ease pressure, the BBC has been reporting on the issues facing a system on the brink of collapse.

There are 23,613 prison officers in England and Wales, looking after a prison population of 85,867 inmates.

A record 165 prison staff were sacked for misconduct in the year to June 2024, according to His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). That’s an increase of 34% on the previous year.

Some of the reasons for these dismissals include sex acts and other inappropriate behaviour with inmates, as well as selling drugs and phones - a lucrative trade inside prisons.

In 2023, Auty was convicted of smuggling millions of pounds of criminal cash from London to Dubai, and sentenced to 42 months in prison.

She served 14 months in HMP Bronzefield - the largest prison in Europe for female offenders - before being released on licence, meaning even though she’s been freed she must stick to a set of rules for the remainder of her sentence.

With her hands thrust firmly in her pockets, Auty describes how it was “not uncommon at all” to see prison staff in Bronzefield dealing.

“The drugs would often be transported on the food trollies and then distributed at the other end on the house blocks,” Auty says.

“On one hand you have a prison service that’s meant to be rule-abiding and strict and uphold British values, and in reality you have corrupt officers.”

In response to Auty’s claims, Sodexo, the private company that runs the prison, told the BBC it cannot comment on individual cases, but “where complaints are received about any employee, we undertake all appropriate investigations and take necessary actions as needed”.

Lee Davis was a prison officer from 2006 until 2010, during which time he regularly supplied cannabis, steroids and phones to inmates, getting paid £400-500 for every package he delivered.

After agreeing to take the first package, he describes a “snowball effect”.

“It then became two, and three," he says, "then after package four it was purely about the money.”

Davis was eventually caught and served two years in prison. He’s since turned his life around and works as a bus driver in Lancaster now, but says much more could be done to stop other prison staff dealing inside.

“They’ve got to up the ante by searching officers going in,” Davis says. “I was searched twice in three years and that isn’t good - we need to stop it at the gates.”

A prison officer who doesn't want to be identified who works in a different, government-run English jail, told us it's unsurprising to hear about staff corruption.

She says everyone working in prisons knows drugs are being supplied by officers.

“They know how to fiddle the system - they know better than anyone how to get drugs and phones in - because they know the checks they’ve got to go through," the woman says.

“Some [prison officers] are so young and inexperienced they easily get caught up in organised crime, with gangs inside sometimes putting pressure on them to supply all sorts.

“There’s a power dynamic, and prison officers can feel like they can do what they want - like asking for sex. They can make life difficult for those inside, and they know that.”

There have been several high profile cases this year which convey the problem of prison officer corruption.

Last month, former prison officer Richard Goss was jailed for four years after admitting to smuggling drugs, needles, and mobile phones into HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale.

Another former officer, Linda De Sousa Abreu, was filmed having sex with an inmate in HMP Wandsworth in London. In July she was convicted of misconduct in a public office after the video went viral on social media.

Corruption inside prisons is now "a greater problem than it has ever been," according to John Podmore, a former governor of several large prisons, including HMP Belmarsh and HMP Brixton, both in London. He oversaw the prison service’s Corruption Prevention Unit and the London Prison’s Anti-corruption Team.

“There is a perfect storm of young inexperienced staff with poor vetting and inadequate training being thrown into a dystopian environment," Mr Podmore says, "where violence and organised crime dominate a failing prison system.”

He estimates the value of drugs traded across the prison estate each year is in excess of £1bn.

No specific qualifications are needed to become a prison officer in England and Wales.

On its website, HMPPS states new recruits will be given a 10-day induction, which includes finding out about prison life and being shown basic security processes.

This is followed by a seven-week training programme, during which trainees are taught how to look after people in custody and de-escalate challenging situations.

Mr Podmore describes this training as “totally inadequate”, and “the worst and shortest of any jurisdiction I have observed over five continents”.

“The vast majority of officers are corrupted as a result of conditioning, manipulation, coercion and blackmail, while being badly trained, poorly led and inadequately supervised,” he adds.

Steven Gillan from the Prison Officer Association told the BBC that, while he defends the vast majority of "hard working and professional" prison officers, he is "not going to sugar coat the issue of corruption” - one he describes as "very real".

“Prisons are complex places and there can be no place or excuse for corrupt staff,” he says.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) says it is “catching more of the small minority who break the rules. This includes by bolstering our Counter Corruption Unit and strengthening our vetting processes.

“Where officers do fall below our high standards, we will always take robust action.”

Inmate's sentence extended after scalding officer

 An inmate who seriously assaulted a prison officer leaving him with second-degree facial burns has been handed an 11-year extended sentence.

On 27 December 2024, Benjamin Scott, 46, a prisoner at HMP Onley in Northamptonshire, threw boiling water into the face of a prison officer before hitting him over the head with a kettle.

The victim was taken to hospital where he received treatment for his injuries including an ocular burn to his left eye, in a bid to save his sight.

Scott who is serving a 15-year jail sentence, was handed an extended sentence made up of six years in jail and an additional five years on licence on 20 March.

Northamptonshire Police said Scott was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent and during a formal police interview gave a full disclosure expressing his remorse for his actions.

He said it was not a "targeted attack" and had wanted to move from the prison after feeling like he was not getting support for his declining mental health.

Following the incident, the force said he was later transferred to another prison.

At a hearing at Northampton Crown Court on 19 November last year, Scott, formerly of Sheffield, pleaded guilty to one count of grievous bodily harm with intent.

In March, he was handed an extended sentence made up of six years imprisonment with an extension of five years on licence.

Det Con Jamie Yates of CID West, whose team led the investigation, said: "This was a particularly violent, unprovoked attack by Benjamin Scott who wanted to orchestrate a move from the prison.

"Such violence has no place in our society and that includes within the prison establishment, where prison officers should be able to feel safe to perform their duties without fear for their personal safety.

"The prison officer in this case acted bravely and professionally throughout considering the seriousness of his assault and I must praise him for this."

Prison guard and gang jailed over contraband plot

 A gang has been jailed after teaming up with a corrupt prison officer to smuggle drugs, mobile phones and USB sticks into a south‑east London prison.

Jason Thompson, a guard at HMP Isis, was suspended by the Prison Service in February 2024, as the Metropolitan Police investigated.

Thompson, 34, was jailed for four years and six months at Snaresbrook Crown Court after admitting he acted as the link between the gang and inmates - five of whom have been jailed today.

Deputy governor at HMP Isis, Stephen Forde, said the vast majority of prison staff were "honest, professional and hardworking, and those who choose corruption put staff and prisoners at risk and damage public trust."

Eight men and Thompson are believed to have been responsible for 18 package drop‑offs between February and July 2024. Thompson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to convey List A articles into prison and misconduct in a public office.

The ringleader inside prison was Olusegan Shobanjo, 26, and his brother on the outside, 28-year-old Adedayo Shobanjo.

He and Andrew Opoku‑Edusei, 28, prepared an "industrial" number of USB sticks loaded with Xbox games, TV programmes and pornography for prisoners - with some produced to order. They also paid Thompson between £400 and £600 for each package smuggled in.

Inmates Prince Kunado Dwomoh and Nathan Adjei played a "significant role" in the conspiracy and were principally dealing cannabis.

Contraband was brought in via supervised visits arranged through the official prison booking system.

The gang used coded language and slang to avoid detection, as footage from inside the prison captured the exchanges, including a moment when Thompson, in a panic, discarded items in a staff toilet.

On 13 March 2024, officers intercepted a package containing cannabis resin before carrying out 11 simultaneous arrests across London.

Gang members sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 2 April:

• Olusegan Shobanjo, 26, of Bristol Avenue, NW9, was jailed for five years for conspiracy to convey List A and List B articles into prison and facilitating the acquisition of criminal property

• Rama Wato, 26, of Alpha Place, NW6, was sentenced to two years and 10 months for the same offences

• Andrew Opoku Edusei, 28, of The Concourse, NW9, jailed for four years and six months for the same charges and the possession of ammunition

• Prince Kunado Dwomoh, 27, of Kenley Avenue, NW9, was jailed for two years and eight months for conspiracy to convey List A articles into prison

• Nathan Adjei, 26, of Lutterworth Road, Northampton, received two years and six months' imprisonment for the same offence

Earlier hearings:

• Jacques Hamilton, 23, of Abborts Road, HA8, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment on 22 January after pleading guilty to conspiracy to convey List A articles into prison

• Arian Kaseb, 21, of Charcot Road, NW9, was jailed on 23 January for 12 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to convey List B articles into prison

Awaiting sentencing:

• Adedayo Shobanjo, 28, of Bristol Avenue, NW9, awaits sentencing after admitting conspiracy to convey List B articles into prison and facilitating the acquisition of criminal property

regarding my probation

 I am currently awaiting the completion of reports for my parole dossier. Several months have now passed without any updates, and the delay continues to weigh heavily. Despite this, I remain patient and hopeful that progress will be made soon. I will share further updates as soon as I receive any news.

Scotland's prison population reaches new record high

 Scotland's prison population has reached a new record high, despite the emergency early release of more than 500 convicted criminals.

On Tuesday, 8,452 people were being held in the country's jails.

Hundreds of prisoners serving sentences of less than four years have been freed early since November in an attempt to reduce overcrowding.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said the rising prison population was at a "critical point" and work was underway to address it in the long term.

Last night the Scottish Parliament backed plans to reduce the automatic release point for short-term prisoners from 40% to 30% of their sentence.

The changes would not apply to those convicted of domestic abuse or sexual offences, and ministers say it could reduce the prison population by up to 312.

The plans were passed without a vote last night after Holyrood's presiding officer Alison Johnstone failed to hear an objection from the Scottish Conservatives.

In October, the prison population size hit its most recent record high of 8,430 which surpassed the previous record of 8,420 from 2012.

Opposition MSPs have accused the Scottish government of mismanaging the justice system.

Scotland - which along with other parts of Britain has one of the highest incarceration rates in Europe - has announced several emergency measures in recent years in a bid to cut prisoner numbers.

Just last year, the government changed the law to cut the point of release for all eligible short-term prisoners from 50% to 40% of their sentence.

Two previous schemes, carried out in 2024 and the spring of 2025, saw almost 800 prisoners freed.

Despite these efforts, the population continues to rise with more people being locked up.

Scotland's prisons were designed to hold 7,805 inmates, meaning they are now accommodating more than 600 additional people - enough to fill another prison the size of HMP & YOI Grampian or HMP Shotts.

Two new prisons are being built - one in Inverness and one in Glasgow - and will add around 450 spaces to the prison estate.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said addressing the issue in the long term would require "bold" and "collaborative" action.

She said: "Scotland's prison population is at a critical point, and last night's vote reflects Parliament's recognition that we must act to ensure our prisons can continue to operate safely and effectively, and deliver important rehabilitative work.

"Moving the automatic release point for certain short-term prisoners from 40% to 30% of their sentence is part of a considered, responsible approach to managing the prison estate sustainably.

"This is an immediate measure, but it cannot be the whole answer."

Constance said work was underway in response to the Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission's recommendations, external, which highlighted the importance of using community-based alternatives to short custodial sentences to reduce reoffending.

A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said it had been managing an "extremely high and complex population" for more than two years, which had an "increasingly destabilising impact" on prisons and staff efforts to support rehabilitation.

He said the change to the release point of short term prisoners would provide "welcome respite".

"We need to see a long-term reduction in our population, so we can fully support people in our care, reduce their risk of reoffending, and help build the safer communities we all want to see," he added.