Prison officer jailed for smuggling phones and drugs

A former prison officer who smuggled phones and drugs to inmates has been jailed.

Leicester Crown Court heard James Speirs, 30, who worked at HMP Gartree near Market Harborough, Leicestershire, was part of a "complex network" of individuals, who ensured there was a "constant supply" of contraband into the prison.

Speirs, New Bilton, Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office, two counts of conspiracy to supply cannabis and two counts of conspiracy to bring a List B prohibited article into and out of a prison.

On Friday, Judge Timothy Spencer KC sentenced Speirs to six years in prison.

Prosecutor Gordon Stables told the court Speirs smuggled contraband, including phones and drugs, into HMP Gartree in exchange for a fee.

The court heard Speirs received more than £12,000 for bringing items into the prison.

Stables said Speirs "abused" his position as a prison officer and his offences "strike at the integrity of the prison service itself".

He added that the Crown accepted prisoners had "many routes" to get contraband into prisons.

"But the quantities that a prison officer can get in are of a different scale," he added.

The court heard he was suspended from his role once he was identified, and arrested on 5 October 2022.

At his address, police found various items, including 13 phones, five SIM cards, and cannabis-infused sweets, which Spencer said were "designed" to be smuggled as illicit contraband.

"The whole pernicious black market of contraband is a very, very serious problem for the running of the prison system," Spencer added.

In mitigation, barrister Jamie Scott said Speirs was a "family man" and had a "capacity for hard work".

The court heard he previously worked as a delivery driver and trained as a firefighter before his conviction.

"As a young man, he made a terrible decision and that has affected the rest of his life," Scott said.

The court heard he was "vulnerable" due to a gambling problem, and Scott said he was not the "architect" behind the conspiracy.

Scott added that the defendant had shown "stoic courage" to take responsibility for his criminality after his arrest.

Spencer said: "This is a very sad day - you could've had a rewarding, fulfilling and maybe even a long career in the prison service

"But you've thrown that all away."

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