HMP Lindholme: 12 convicted after 6-year probe into drug smuggling and money laundering at jail
Two inmates at a Doncaster prison have pleaded guilty to conspiring to bring illegal drugs into the jail – bringing the number of people convicted following the six year probe to 12.
Gareth Roberts, 38, of Manor Farm Green, Leeds, and Robert Williams, 35, of Brignall Garth, Leeds, both admitted conspiring to supply spice and cannabis, a Class B controlled drug, on day one and two of their trial at Sheffield Crown Court, having changed their pleas before any evidence was heard.
A third defendant, Lydia Ratcliffe, who was the partner of an inmate at HMP Lindholme, was today (Wednesday 17 July) found not guilty of conspiring to enter or be concerned in the acquisition or use of criminal property following a two-and-a-half week trial at the same court.
She had already pleaded guilty to causing a communication by contacting inmates on contraband phones from her mobile phone under Section 40D of the Prison Act 1952.
The latest guilty verdicts mean that 12 people have now been convicted as part of a long-running police probe into a conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and other contraband items into HMP Lindholme from 1 August 2018 to 1 July 2019.
The other nine defendants, who pleaded guilty to various linked offences at earlier court hearings, include a prison officer, multiple HMP Lindholme inmates and associates of prisoners at the Category C jail.
They are:
Victoria Sked, 26, of Darwin Grove, Darlington (Prison Officer) - conspiracy to supply a Class A and B drug, conspiring to bring a List 'A' and 'B' prohibited article into/out of a prison, conspiring to enter into / be concerned in the acquisition / retention / use or control of criminal property
Simie McGinley, 30, of HMP Stocken (HMP Lindholme inmate) - conspiracy to supply a Class A and B drug, two counts of conspiring to bring a List 'A' and 'B' prohibited article into/out of a prison and conspiring to enter into / be concerned in the acquisition / retention / use or control of criminal property
Ayesha Martin, 29, of Clarendon Terrace, Leeds (Partner to McGinley) - conspiracy to supply a Class B drug, two counts of conspiring to bring a List 'A' and 'B' prohibited article into a prison and conspiring to enter into / be concerned in the acquisition / retention / use or control of criminal property
Jack McGlen, 32, of Woodbridge Lawn, Leeds (HMP Lindholme inmate) - conspiracy to supply a Class B drug, conspiring to bring / throw / convey a List 'A' prohibited article into / out of a prison, conspiring to enter into / be concerned in the acquisition / retention / use or control of criminal property and without authority taking a photograph/making a sound recording inside a prison
Alicia Harrison, 27, of Poplar Green, Leeds (Partner to McGlen) - conspiracy to supply a Class A and B drug and conspiring to enter into / be concerned in the acquisition / retention / use or control of criminal property
Darren Morgan, 45, of Renee Close, Bradford (External associate) - conspiracy to supply a Class B drug, conspiring to bring / throw / convey a List 'A' prohibited article into / out of a prison, conspiring to enter into / be concerned in the acquisition / retention / use or control of criminal property
Adam Kirk, 34, of Holt Farm Close, Leeds (External associate) - conspiracy to supply a Class A and B drug
Abigail Carter, 24, of Alderley, Skelmersdale (Sister to HMP inmate) - conspiracy to supply a Class A and B drug and conspiring to enter into / be concerned in the acquisition / retention / use or control of criminal property
Diane Monks, 45, of Highfield Villas, Leeds (Partner to Roberts) - conspiracy to supply a Class B drug
The six-year investigation into this network of drug smuggling and money laundering within HMP Lindholme began in August 2018 when Sked was found with a Pot Noodle containing suspected cannabis wrapped in cling film.
Class A, B and C drugs were later found in her possession along with phones and SIM cards, before a search of her home led to the discovery of a significant amount of cash as well as pre-wrapped packages containing drugs, phones, chargers and SIM cards.
Sked, who at the time had tendered her resignation as a prison officer at Lindholme, was working with serving inmates to get contraband items into jail.
They would arrange it, with partners and associates of inmates then financing and transporting the contraband into the prison using various means.
CCTV footage captured Martin, who is the partner of inmate McGinley, delivering bags to Sked's home address before mobile phone recovered from inside a cell in HMP Lindholme were attributed to inmates Thompson, Roberts and Williams.
Analysis of these devices uncovered videos and pictures of the inmates handling the drugs inside the jail with a deeper dive of finances showing the huge sums of money involved as part of this secret operation.
Detective Constable Scott Jarvis, the officer in the charge of the case, said: “These convictions come after a lengthy investigation into a huge network of drug smuggling and money laundering within the prison setting, and we are pleased to have been able to secure guilty pleas against all 12 defendants.
“Our probe into this criminality began in 2018 and it has taken six years to get to this stage, emphasising the complexities of the investigation and the perseverance of everybody involved in this case.
“We are pleased that Roberts and Williams pleaded guilty to the charges they faced and that 12 people in total have been convicted for their parts in this criminality.”
Detective Sergeant Gareth Gent, who heads up South Yorkshire Police’s Prison Anti-Corruption Unit, said: “This is a further example of South Yorkshire Police working in partnership with His Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service to eradicate this type of criminality from our prisons.
“I would like to thank our prison partners for their continued assistance in tackling what is an important area of our work and one that strives to make our prisons a safer place for both inmates and staff.”
Ratcliffe was given a 12-month conditional discharge in court today after her earlier guilty plea, with the other 11 defendants set to be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court later this year.