Haunted Prisons: Shepton Mallet

 HMP Shepton Mallet was opened before 1625 but was already in poor repair by the end of the First English Civil War in 1646. It was expanded in 1790, but conditions were again criticised in a report of 1822 and further building work was undertaken in the 1820s and 1830s. This included the installation of a treadwheel for those sentenced to hard labour.

In 1843 the number of cells was increased by adding a second storey to each wing. The prison was damaged during a fire in 1904. In 1930 the number of inmates had fallen and the prison was closed.

Following the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Shepton Mallet was reopened as a military prison. It was initially used by the British Army. In November 1940, three British soldiers, who were incarcerated in room 142 close to the B1 landing, died of asphyxiation or carbon monoxide poisoning. Another soldier, also held in the same room, survived. 

Later in the war the prison was handed over to American forces, who constructed an execution block to hang condemned prisoners. Under the provisions of the USA (Visiting Forces) Act 1942, 18 American servicemen were executed at the prison; 16 were hanged in the execution block and two shot by firing squad in the prison yard. Three of the hangings were double executions, in which two condemned prisoners stood together on the gallows and were executed simultaneously when the trapdoor opened. The remains of those executed were buried in unmarked graves within the walls of the prison, as was customary following British executions. 

Following the war the prison continued as a ‘glasshouse’, or military prison, until it was returned to civilian use in 1966. The gallows in the execution block were removed in 1967, and the room became the prison library. A new kitchen, boiler room, chapel and education block were added. In January 2013, then-justice secretary Chris Grayling announced that Shepton Mallet prison would be one of seven prisons in England to close as a cost-saving measure. It finally closed on 28 March 2013. 

Shepton Mallet prison is widely recognised as the most haunted prison in the world, and one of the most haunted locations in the UK. With paranormal activity said to be commonplace throughout the prison, visitors and staff often report sightings and sounds that seem to defy explanation.

In the 1970s, whilst the prison was still functioning, the Home Office was requested to investigate some strange happenings in one of the wings. An increase in prisoners requesting additional bedding due to a cold draught was becoming an issue, and the occasional smell of sweet perfume would waft around the prison. Prisoners were becoming uncomfortable in their cells and officers started to refuse to work the night shifts. The Home Office carried out a three-day investigation, but the results were inconclusive.

As the years passed, new reports came in of draughts and perfume smells. Some night officers would report seeing shadows and a white figure standing on the stairs. The story of ‘the white lady’ was revealed after some research. She had murdered her husband and was brought to Shepton Mallet prison for her final days before being hanged in the town centre. The night before her execution, she was offered her final request, and asked to wear her wedding dress. The morning of her execution, the door to her cell swung open and officers found her lifeless body lying on the bed, dressed in the wedding dress. No marks were found on her body, and it was concluded that she must have died of a broken heart.

She is said to still wander the wings, and sightings of her have been reported on multiple occasions – along with continued reports of the wafting smell of sweet perfume.

Keep trans women out of women’s jails

 I read Cyrus S’s letter, ‘Where should trans women be detained?’ (Mailbag, December) and felt that I must reply. First, I support those who are genuinely in the wrong body, but to answer your question, trans women should be detained in men’s jails, no ifs and buts.

You may be a woman in a man’s body, but you are a man. I am not being horrible saying that, it’s a fact. Too many women get sexually assaulted by men and it needs to stop.  Female prisoners, in the past, have been assaulted by so-called trans women prisoners transferred from men’s jails to female jails.

At the end of the day, no prisoner with the reproductive organs of a man should never be located and housed in a female jail. The risks heavily outweigh the benefits. If and when an actual sex change has taken place, then and only then should a female jail be considered. That is my opinion.

Prisons Minister holds ‘board meeting’ about chess in jails

 Prisons Minister Lord Timpson faced an ex-prisoner across a chess board at an event in Parliament to promote the game in jails.

The minister attended the session organised by the Justice Unions Parliamentary Group to introduce Parliamentarians to the benefits of chess in prisons.

Amongst those making the case was Carl Portman, MBE, who not only acts as the Chess Correspondent of Inside Time, but also runs sessions within prisons under the banner of the English Chess Federation to encourage those inside to play the game. 

The Federation was represented on the evening. Also present were representatives of 5asideCHESS, including the organisation’s founders, Ross Smith and Diane Waldron, and its ambassador David Breakspear – the former prisoner who took on Lord Timpson in a game. This mini version of the sport is played with fewer pieces, making matches shorter. 

Full scale chess and the 5asideCHESS version are popular in many UK jails, and matches are often played between inmates and officers. Campaigners say it is a way of bringing people together, and providing a purposeful activity that is both fun and mind-stretching. 

Carl told Inside Time that when he plays outside prison, he often finds opponents make a move on the board, then afterwards try to change it, which is against the rules. He said that those in prison are more honest when they are participating. It gives, he said, a very positive experience to all who take part.

Amongst the MPs who attended were Liz Saville-Roberts (Plaid Cymru), Maria Eagle (Labour), Peter Fortune (Conservative), Warinder Singh Juss (Labour), Apsana Begum (Labour), Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour), Mary Kelly Foy (Labour), Catherine West (Labour), and Bambos Charalambous (Labour). All spent time with the chess association representatives and tried to solve the on-board puzzles that they set.

A conversation between Lord Timpson and Mr Breakspear during the course of their chess game showed that they were in agreement over the benefits that can be derived from allowing and encouraging people inside to play. 5asideCHESS are clear that it is not the actual game that matters, it is the social contact that competition brings about. Their slogan is “It is more than just a game”.

Diane told Inside Time that in one prison she visited to talk to the senior managers, the head of security asked her how she would measure the benefits of having inmates playing 5asideCHESS and the reduction in reoffending that would follow. She replied that the prison would need to monitor that, as her organisation would have no access to those records. However, she highlighted the positive outcomes of getting prisoners to take part in a fun and competitive activity that encouraged them to think through tactics. She said the benefits would be seen on the wings, from the social interactions which take people away from self-destructive actions. 

New vetting guidelines ban many ex-offenders from working in prisons

 New vetting rules for the employment of ex-prisoners by the Prison Service or charities working in prisons impose an automatic ban on many jobseekers due to the nature of their convictions.

The guidelines, published by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), say that no-one serving a life sentence can be employed. Nor can anyone with past convictions for sexual offences, organised crime, arson, misconduct in a public office, terrorism offences, significant deception, or stalking.

According to the guidelines, employing such individuals would pose an “unmanageable risk to the organisation and/or public safety”. But charity leaders criticised the approach and called for a rethink, with decisions based on a jobseeker’s risk rather than their offence type.

The ‘HMPPS Risk Assessed Access for Personnel with Lived Experience of the Criminal Justice System Policy Framework’, which takes effect on 1 April, states that employing ex-prisoners within HMPPS “enriches the organisation with unique perspectives” and “enhances the support and rehabilitation services provided”. For individuals who would fail the normal vetting process due to their criminal convictions are offered an alternative route, the ‘Lived Experience Appointment Pathway’ (LEAP), which is intended to help bring them into employment – so long as their convictions are not for one of the many excluded offence types, known as the ‘fixed’ category.

The guidelines cover both direct employment by HMPPS and employment by voluntary sector organisations in roles which would require the candidate to visit prisons regularly. They describe the process for risk assessments, and give guidance to prison governors as to how they can use their judgement to approve, or reject, applicants.

Richard Rowley, Deputy Chief Executive of the Working Chance charity which promotes employment for female ex-prisoners, told Inside Time: “We welcome the introduction of the new framework from HMPPS. Its publication represents a positive step toward greater transparency and signals a genuine intention to align recruitment policies with HMPPS stated commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the value of lived experience within the workforce.

“However, we remain concerned about the restrictive nature of the ‘fixed’ category. The framework states that offences placed in this category post an ‘unmanageable risk to the organisation and/or public safety’ resulting in automatic exclusion. This approach risks disproportionately affecting people with lived experience, including those whose offences may be historic, contextual, or clearly mitigated by rehabilitation. From a voluntary sector perspective, the implications are significant.”

He called for “greater clarity on the rationale behind these exclusions” and highlighted that his organisation sees many women who want to work for the very services who supported them on their prison journey.

A Prison Service spokesperson told Inside Time: “We vet our staff to ensure the security of our prisons. There are no exemptions for individuals in the excluded categories.” However, they added that they may still attend prisons as visitors if agreed locally.

Difficulties with the vetting procedures were raised at a recent held in London by Clinks, the umbrella group representing criminal justice charities. Sam Julius, Clinks’ Director of National Influencing and Networks, said: “The new framework is a step in the right direction. Securing staff access to prisons has been arguably the voluntary sector’s greatest challenge recently and this more flexible approach could go towards mitigating this.

“Under this approach certain people will benefit from a ‘fixed, flex’ approach which will allow for a ‘more nuanced approach enabling contextual review of certain offences.’ The fixed component relates to offences that will always be excluded from consideration for the LEAP scheme. It is important that the sector can engage officials on the evidence base behind these exclusions, as part of a wider engagement of these new processes focusing on risk and rehabilitation and not offence type.”

A spokesperson for the Independent Monitoring Boards, whose board members face vetting before appointment, told Inside Time: “We welcome applications from those with lived experience, but the vetting decisions are out of our hands. We would welcome any changes to guidelines that make the vetting process simpler and easier for those going through it.”

 

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.

HMP Woodhill branded unsafe amid rising violence

 A high security prison has been branded "not safe" after inspectors found some of the highest levels of violence, drug use and self-harm.

HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes has been placed under an urgent notification by HM Inspector of Prisons, the second in three years.

Inspectors found it had the highest rate of serious assaults on staff, general violence had increased, drug use was the highest of all adult male prisons and the prison was dirty.

The Ministry of Justice has described the findings as "deeply concerning".

Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said the category B prison, which houses about 800 men, was failing in its role as a training centre.

"Instead men are languishing in their cells and criminal behaviour is going unchecked by often inexperienced officers," he said, adding: "The dealing and use of drugs is rife and there are frightening levels of violence, including some very serious assaults on both prisoners and staff.

The inspectorate highlighted a range of serious failings.

It found rates of violence were the second highest of any category B training prison and had increased, and the rate of serious assaults on staff was the highest in the long-term high secure estate (LTHSE), with about a third involving weapons.

It found drugs were far too easily available and three deaths in the last two years were drug-related. In random drug tests, the positive rate over the past year was among the highest of all adult male prisons.

The report also concluded that:

• Rates of self-harm remained among the highest in the adult male estate

• Some officers were not competent or confident to enforce rules or engage constructively with prisoners

• The prison was dirty and in need of refurbishment

• Woodhill was "fundamentally failing in its core function" as a training prison, with an inadequate Ofsted rating and classes routinely cancelled leading to men spending more time in their cells

Despite most prisoners presenting a high risk of harm to others, offender management, interventions and work to reduce risk were inadequate, the report said.

Planning for releasing dangerous offenders was "inadequate and risked endangering the public", and men being released had only limited support.

Inspectors found delays in taking patients to A&E and acutely mentally unwell men waited on average 191 days to be transferred to a secure hospital, one of the longest delays the inspectorate had seen.

'Troubled jail'

However, the inspectorate noted many prison staff were trying their best in "difficult circumstances".

Many prisoners also felt unsafe, it said.

A new governor was appointed six months ago and prioritised stabilising the prison but the issues at Woodhill were "serious" and "intractable", Taylor said.

He added: "I am in no doubt that the challenges the governor and his staff face will require sustained, significant support from the prison service if they are to succeed at this troubled jail."

Lord Timpson, minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, said the findings were "deeply concerning".

"The prison crisis we inherited has left too many jails breeding crime rather than preventing it — with consequences felt across the estate.

"We are tackling these challenges head on, including at HMP Woodhill where, as the Chief Inspector recognises, staff are already working tirelessly to improve safety, raise standards and reduce violence."

Thousands of probation appointments missed, figures show

 Hundreds of thousands of probation appointments with criminals did not take place over the last three years, new Ministry of Justice figures show.

The data suggests that unmanageable workloads are to blame for almost a third of scheduled meetings being cancelled, with several probation officers warning that this could encourage reoffending and put lives at risk.

Probation officers are responsible for checking that offenders are following the terms of their release from prison such as curfews, not taking drugs and wearing ankle tags that can restrict their movement.

It comes as the government announces plans to reduce workloads, recruit more officers and monitor more offenders with tags.

Figures released on Thursday show that 32% of probation appointments with very high-risk offenders, such as child abusers and rapists, did not take place between 2023 and 2025 because staff had unmanageable schedules - amounting to tens of thousands of cancelled appointments.

One probation officer told the BBC that missed appointments could lead offenders to break the law again because "crucial information isn't gathered and shared".

"If someone is a domestic abuser and they have a new girlfriend, for example, we might need to tell the authorities - but if we don't have the appointment, we don't get that information and that could lead to someone being hurt or even killed," they said.

From September, there will be changes to the way serious criminals who have been released from prison are supervised, ministers say, meaning rapists, murderers and paedophiles in the community will have more one-to-one meetings.

The government argues this will mean probation staff can focus their time on the most dangerous offenders while those assessed as lower risk will require fewer routine appointments.

But some probation staff believe this will move the workload around rather than reduce it.

The probation caseload - the number of offenders staff are looking after - was 241,540 at the end of March 2025, an increase of 9% over a decade. Staff may have multiple appointments with each offender in a week.

The government also plans to introduce legislation which would mean more burglars, thieves and domestic abusers would face GPS and alcohol monitoring - using ankle tags - in what ministers describe as a £100m crackdown on crime.

A pilot scheme costing £5m will also be launched where new proximity monitoring technology will be tested. It will create an alert when offenders convicted of crimes such as domestic abuse and stalking approach their victim.

"This the biggest expansion of tagging in British history and means the most dangerous offenders will now be watched more closely than ever before," Prisons Minister James Timpson said.

"By combining new technology with a stronger probation workforce, we're making sure those who pose the biggest risk are under constant scrutiny to better protect victims and the public," Lord Timpson added.

In England and Wales, some 20,000 people are currently tagged. It is expected the additional tagging as part of the new measures will lead to another 7,000 criminals being tagged.

Ministry of Justice sources told the BBC contractors responsible for tagging were "in the green zone" and up to date with their workload.

Security contractor Serco, which manages the prison tagging system, said it was "very proud to be supporting the MoJ with the biggest increase in tagging in a generation", adding that it had the resources "to deal with the increased number of offenders to be monitored".

The government is also introducing, for the first time, a presumption that all prison leavers will be tagged on release as part of intensive supervision.

Those who have served their sentence inside or have a medical condition prohibiting them from wearing a tag will not be included.

But critics question how possible this is when there have already been problems in recent months with people not being tagged when they should have been.

"As far as we know, people who should be tagged aren't being tagged today so it's fair to ask if they can take on the extra capacity given people's lives are at risk if they can't," one probation officer told the BBC.

This comes before the new sentencing law is implemented where some short jail terms will be replaced by community alternatives to help reduce prison overcrowding.

Chief Inspector of Probation, Martin Jones, welcomed the government's plans, saying they "attempt to focus time and resources where they matter most".

"We are entering a crucial period as the implementation of the Sentencing Act reforms begins.

"There must be a sharp focus on ensuring the Probation Service can recruit, train, and retain sufficient staff, and give them the tools and support they need - both to keep the public and victims safe, and to turn offenders' lives' around".

Enver Solomon, chief executive of social justice charity Nacro, said tagging "only helps reduce reoffending if it supports people to rebuild their lives by finding stable housing, getting into work and reconnecting with family".

He added that while prioritising supervision for high risk offenders was "understandable", it was also important to look out for those judged as low risk.

"Many are stuck in a cycle of crime driven by homelessness, poor mental health or drug addiction. Without the right support, they are far more likely to end up back in the criminal justice system instead of turning their lives around," he said.

In 2025, the then justice secretary Shabana Mahmood pledged to recruit an additional 1,300 probation officers by April 2026. It takes more than a year to train a probation officer.

Last summer, the BBC revealed government documents showing there was a shortfall of around 10,000 probation staff to manage offenders serving sentences in the communities.

At the time, the government said they had announced a £700m increase in funding by 2028, as well as recruiting more trainee probation officers.

In March 2025, there were 21,022 full-time probation staff in England and Wales, an increase of 610 on the previous year.

Prison officer had behind-bars relationship with convicted drug dealer

A 23-year-old prison officer has been spared jailed after forming a relationship with a convicted drug dealer in Merseyside.
Megan Breen appeared at Cardiff Crown Court where it was heard that she would travel to the Merseyside area to meet the prisoner while he was on home leave and even stayed in a hotel with him to celebrate her 20th birthday.
Breen was working as an operational support grade worker at HMP Prescoed, a category D open prison in Gwent, at the time, the court heard.

She met the unnamed inmate while working night shifts and arranged to meet him while he was on home leave in the Merseyside area, preparing for release.

He had been jailed in October 2020 for four years and four months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and in May 2021 was transferred to Breen’s prison.

Man ‘not had a life’ as 1990 murder conviction quashed

 A man with learning disabilities who says he felt under pressure to confess to murder says he has not "had a life" for the last 33 years.

Three judges ruled that Oliver Campbell's 1991 conviction for the murder of Baldev Hoondle in east London the previous year was "unsafe".

"I could have had a full-time job, been in a relationship, had kids, been on holiday. I couldn’t do that yesterday, but now I can - and plan the rest of my life," he told the BBC.

His purported confession at the time was made up amid the stress of being "badgered and bullied" during interviews, judges have previously heard.

He said he believed part of the reason why he was jailed was that he was being treated as a "scapegoat", and said: "I didn’t put myself in prison, it’s the system that put me there".

Speaking to the BBC, he added that despite his time in prison, he had not lost faith in the justice system, and had never considered ending his fight against his conviction.

"The weight is off my shoulders, but the thing is, there is still someone who committed a crime out there… that’s all I’ve got to say," he said.

The Crown Prosecution Service, which opposed the bid, said they respected the judgement of the court.

"The Court of Appeal rejected 17 grounds of appeal and these convictions were only quashed on the basis of new evidence providing more information about Oliver Campbell's mental state when he confessed to murder," a spokesperson said.

Among the grounds of appeal rejected was a claim of "serious allegations of manipulation, deliberate misleading bullying" made against police officers.

In their ruling, external, Lord Justice Holroyde, sitting with Mr Justice Bourne and Mrs Justice Stacey, said the court could not be sure how a jury would have considered new evidence of mental capacity and “on that narrow but very important basis, we have concluded that the convictions are unsafe.”

Given Mr Campbell had already spent more than a decade in prison, and more than two decades on licence, he could not have a fair trial where he would be unable to process the information.

• Oliver Campbell: I felt 'under pressure' to confess

• Newsnight: Calls to review 30-year-old murder conviction

Mr Campbell was jailed for life in 1991 over the murder of Mr Hoondle, who was shot dead during a botched robbery in Hackney carried out by two men.

His lawyers and supporters say his confession at the time mirrored what he had watched on BBC's Crimewatch.

Mr Campbell was released on a life licence in 2002 and lives in Felixstowe, Suffolk, with the assistance of a close group of friends and helpers.

His supporters added: "We are all in tears. Ollie's life starts now."

Mr Campbell suffered a brain injury when he was a baby. Experts say the injury has badly affected his memory and general ability to process more than basic information, leaving him suggestible and vulnerable to potential manipulation.

His barrister, Michael Birnbaum KC, told the court earlier this year that there were "ample" grounds to find the conviction unsafe - suggesting he was "badgered and bullied" by police into giving a false confession over his involvement.

Mr Birnbaum said that his client's learning disabilities meant he made admissions which were "simply absurd" and "nonsense", and contained a "litany of inconsistencies" against the facts of the case.

Lord Justice Holroyde said in the ruling: "We accept that, considered in the light of the fresh evidence, the rulings might be different."

He continued: "A jury knowing of the fresh evidence would be considering the reliability of those confessions in a materially different context.

"In those circumstances, we cannot say that the fresh evidence could not reasonably have affected the decision of the jury to convict."

The judge said that the decision would be a "heavy blow" to the family of Mr Hoondle, but he trusted "they will understand that we must reach our decisions in accordance with the law, uninfluenced by emotion".

Officers will continue to support Mr Hoodle's family, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson added.

"The murder of Baldev Singh Hoondle in July 1990 was fully investigated by detectives at the time with a range of evidence brought before a jury who convicted the defendant the following year," they also said.

After Mr Campbell was arrested in late 1990, he was interviewed 14 times by detectives as they sought to build a case to prove that the then 19-year-old had pulled the trigger.

Officers at Hackney Police Station recognised that Mr Campbell had learning difficulties and, for the first 10 interviews, local social services had provided an adult to assist him.

His lawyers believe the purported confession may have therefore been inspired by what he had remembered seeing on the TV, as he tried to end the repeated questioning.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight in 2021, Mr Campbell said the trauma of his conviction had destroyed his life, and that he had lost contact with most of his friends and family.

"It’s disgusting what's happened to me," he told the programme. "That's all I've got to say, it's disgusting how different people out there got away with what they've done to me in my life in 1991."

Mr Campbell added: "I'm an innocent person in the justice system and in the prison system. The justice system put me there."

The quashing of the conviction comes 20 years after the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the miscarriages of justice body, rejected his pleas for help - and after two inquiries were triggered into how it had handled the case of Andy Malkinson, who was cleared of rape after a 20-year campaign.

A spokesperson for the CCRC said it referred Mr Campbell's case in 2022, having declined to do so in 2005, "in light of new evidence that his vulnerabilities had not been properly understood or explained at trial".

The commission's review involved speaking again to an expert used at the original trial, as well as a second expert who explained "how a modern approach to assessing Mr Campbell would take a more holistic view that considered his background and experience".

"The Court of Appeal judgment makes clear that its decision is based on fresh evidence from recent research work, and that the understanding of the factors which may contribute to a false confession has increased," the CCRC said.

"It also states that there have been important developments in the law relating to admissibility of evidence and in matters of practice and procedure relevant to a fair trial."

Nurse struck off after smuggling phone into jail for drugs gang

 Kymberley Finn was working at HMP Durham when she became involved in what police described as a ‘complex organised drug conspiracy’

A prison nurse who smuggled a mobile phone into jail for a drugs operation has been struck off the nursing register after regulators ruled she had “brought the profession into disrepute”.

Kymberley Finn, 33, was working at HMP Durham on an agency contract when she became involved in what police described as a “complex organised drug conspiracy”.

The scheme unravelled when officers searching a cell at HMP Northumberland in August 2022 discovered a phone containing messages about drugs and also discovered contraband.
Finn, from Boldon Colliery, was one of eight people sentenced in January 2025 over the wider plot to smuggle drugs into HMP Northumberland and HMP Durham. She was not charged with drug offences but admitted conspiracy to convey prohibited articles into prison. She received a nine‑month jail term, suspended for 18 months, along with rehabilitation requirements.

Following this conviction, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) launched misconduct proceedings. In its January 2026 ruling, the panel said Finn had been “a significant participant in a conspiracy involving several other people to introduce a banned item to a prison” and had knowingly abused her position.

“Taking into account Miss Finn’s significant breach of trust and her own understanding that what she was doing was illegal, the panel found that maintenance of public confidence in the nursing profession required a finding of impairment,” the decision stated. “Members of the public would be appalled if a registered nurse were not found impaired in circumstances where the nurse had abused their position of trust in this way.”

The panel acknowledged Finn’s early guilty plea, her previously good character, and the fact that no patient had been harmed. But it concluded that anything short of striking her off would be “disproportionate to the gravity of the offence” and “insufficient to address public interest concerns”.

Finn has now been removed from the NMC register, barring her from working as a registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate.
The panel concluded that the seriousness of Finn’s behaviour is “at a high level” and her “actions are fundamentally incompatible with her remaining on the register”.