Jail for 17th member of gang who smuggled £1m of drugs & weapons into South Yorkshire prison

A 57-year-old man has become the 17th defendant to be sentenced over the largest ever drug and weapon prison smuggling conspiracy in the UK, carried out at a South Yorkshire prison.

William Francis has now been jailed for three years and 11 months, after his 16 conspirators were sentenced in October 2023. The 17 have collectively been sentenced to over 88 years in prison.

The court heard how 38-year-old mental health nursing assistant, Amy Hatfield, worked alongside the other defendants to smuggle over £1million worth of drugs, knives and mobile phones into the grounds of HMP Lindholme in Doncaster.

On 24 October 2019, Hatfield was arrested as she arrived for work. In her possession, officers found MDMA, bags of ketamine, spice paper, vials of testosterone, anabolic steroids, mobile phones, phone accessories, tobacco and other prescription drugs. She also had four Ribena bottles with her, which contained around two litres of liquid spice. This alone was estimated by prison experts to be worth over £1 million.

Francis was already a suspect in an ongoing investigation for conveying Class A and B drugs into Lindholme earlier in 2019.

The 17 defendants have been brought to justice for their roles in the conspiracy, following a four-year investigation by South Yorkshire Police.

The force's Prison Anti-Corruption Unit started embarked on enquiries into the ring, and, working alongside Hatfield, Francis was linked to the group through financial work.

He was later interviewed and charged, and pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, two counts of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs, and conspiracy to convey drugs into prison.

Speaking after Hatfield was sentenced, Detective Sergeant Gareth Gent, who heads up the force's dedicated Prison Anti-Corruption Unit, said: “The sentencing of William Francis marks the end of our unprecedented four-year investigation into a highly complex criminal network operating inside HMP Lindholme.

“A significant amount of work went into piecing together the activities of the network of criminals operating both inside and outside of the prison system, and I am pleased that Francis is joining 13 of his co-conspirators behind bars.”

DS Gent added: “The smuggling of dangerous and illegal substances into prisons is an extremely serious crime, and we know that the circulation of drugs and other illicit substances in our prisons causes great misery, violence and sadly death.

“Our work to tackle the smuggling of illegal items into prisons does not stop here, and we continue to work alongside partners in the prison service to eliminate this kind of activity in prisons. We are steadfast in our commitment to identifying those who exploit that system and will ensure those responsible are met with the full force of the law.”

Francis, of Hogan Gardens in Nottingham, was yesterday (Tuesday, January 9, 2024) handed a 47-month sentence at Bradford Crown Court.

The defendants have collectively been sentenced to 88 years and 11 months in prison, with three of the 17 defendants being handed suspended sentences totalling an additional four years and eight months.

The other 16 defendants were all sentenced in October 2023. Their details are below:

• Amy Hatfield, 38, of HMP Newhall, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey phones into prison, conveying knives into prison and money laundering. She has been sentenced to total of ten years and two months in prison.
• Kieran Murphy, 26, of HMP Altercourse, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He was also found guilty by jury after a four-day trial at Sheffield Crown Court in June 2023 of conspiring to convey knives into prison. He has been sentenced to total of seven years and nine months in prison.
• Joseph Whittingham, 35, of HMP Leeds, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey a knife into prison and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has been sentenced to total of eleven years and four months in prison.
• Jordan Needham, 31, of HMP Dovegate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has been sentenced to a total of nine years and six months in prison.
• Anthony Campbell, 38, of HMP Dovegate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has been sentenced to a total of eleven years in prison.
• Courtney Ward, 26, of Harvey Close, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs. She has been sentenced to a total of four years and six months in prison.
• Audrey Needham, 56, of Comfrey Close, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and money laundering. She has been sentenced to a total of four years and three months in prison.
• Deborah Stoddard, 56, of Shorefields Village, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey knives into prison, conspiracy to convey phones into prison, and money laundering. She has been sentenced to total of nine years and six months in prison.
• Leighton Kemp, 29, of Erewash Gardens, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey phones into prison, and money laundering. He has been sentenced to a total of five years in prison.
• Kora Haley, 30, of Holme Lane, Bradford, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey phones into prison and money laundering. She has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
• Aneeze Williamson, 30, of HMP Leeds, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has been sentenced to five years and five months in prison.
• Natalie Williamson, 35, of West Royd Drive, Shipley, pleaded guilty to money laundering and being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs. She was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
• Lee Holmes, 44, of Sylvia Terrace, Stanley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison and money laundering. He was sentenced to a total of two years and three months in prison.
• Lucy Whittingham, 37, from Bradford, pleaded guilty to money laundering. She was handed a two year suspended sentence and a community order.
• Paul Whittingham, 59, of Halifax Road, Bradford, was found guilty of money laundering at trial. However, Whittingham was found not guilty of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He was handed a twenty month suspended sentence and a community order in relation to the money laundering offence.
• Lydia Pinnington, 23, of Clieves Road, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to charge of money laundering. She appeared alongside Paul Whittingham on trial charged with conspiracy to convey drugs into prison and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. She was found not guilty of these offences. She was handed a fourteen month suspended sentence and a community order in relation to the money laundering offence.