Drones are sending 'overwhelming amounts' of drugs into prisons - and could help inmates escape, report warns
HMP chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has warned criminal gangs are targeting jails and making huge profits selling contraband to a "vulnerable and bored" prison population.
The watchdog boss reiterated his concerns about drones making regular deliveries to two Category A jails, HMP Long Lartin and HMP Manchester, which hold "the most dangerous men in the country", including terrorists.
2:28
Mr Taylor said "the police and prison service have in effect ceded the airspace" above these two high-security prisons, which he said was compromising the "safety of staff, prisoners, and ultimately that of the public".
"The possibility now whereby we're seeing packages of up to 10kg brought in by serious organised crime means that in some prisons there is now a menu of drugs available," he said. "Anything from steroids to cannabis, to things like spice and cocaine."
"Drone technology is moving fast... there is a level of risk that's posed by drones that I think is different from what we've seen in the past," warned the chief inspector - who also said there's a "theoretical risk" that a prisoner could escape by being carried out of a jail by a drone.
He urged the prison service to "get a grip" of the issue, stating: "We'd like to see the government, security services, coming together, using technology, using intelligence, so that this risk doesn't materialise."
The report makes clear that physical security - such as netting, windows and CCTV - is "inadequate" in some jails, including Manchester, with "inexperienced staff" being "manipulated".
Mr Taylor said there are "basic" measures which could help prevent the use of drones, such as mowing the lawn, "so we don't get packages disguised as things like astro turf".
Responding to the report, the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) said: "The ready access to drugs is deeply worrying and is undermining efforts to create places of rehabilitation."
Mr Taylor's report found that overcrowding continues to be what he described as a "major issue", with increasing levels of violence against staff and between prisoners, combined with a lack of purposeful activity.
Some 20% of adult men responding to prisoner surveys said they felt unsafe at the time of the inspection, increasing to 30% in the high security estate.
Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "This report is a checklist for all the reasons the government must prioritise reducing prison numbers, urgently.
"Sentencing reform is essential, and sensible steps to reduce the prison population would save lives."
0:51
The report comes after the government pledged to accept most of the recommendations proposed in the independent review of sentencing policy, with the aim of freeing up around 9,500 spaces.
Those measures won't come into effect until spring 2026.
Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said Mr Taylor's findings show "the scale of the crisis" the government "inherited", with "prisons dangerously full, rife with drugs and violence".
He said: "After just 500 prison places added in 14 years, we're building 14,000 extra - with 2,400 already delivered - and reforming sentencing to ensure we never run out of space again.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Wannabe fraudster, 33, who tried to claim £74,000 after lorry smashed into his Porsche is caught out... because dashcam snapped him 'hiding in bushes'
A wannabe fraudster's £74,000 claim has been foiled after footage shows he was not inside his luxury Porsche when it was hit by a lorry - but instead seemingly hiding in the bushes. Terell Brooks, a 33-year-old account manager from Romford, claimed he was sat in the £81,000 car at the time of impact and suffered injuries as a result. However, dashcam footage shows Mr Brooks had parked his Porsche 911 Carrera GTS on the edge of the road on the A13 in Essex on August 19, 2022, when a lorry collided with the vehicle. His claim included £63,435 for alleged damage to the Porsche, £5,000 for personal injury, £2,400 for medical treatment, and a further £3,374 for loss of earnings. But the dashcam footage from the lorry revealed a different story. The video clearly shows the Porsche parked and unoccupied, with Mr Brooks visible several metres away in bushes behind a roadside barrier. It is unclear why he had exited the vehicle, but the footage confirmed he was not inside at the time of the incident. After the footage was put to Mr Brooks' solicitors, they withdrew from the case. Clyde & Co, representing AXA UK who insured the lorry, filed an Amended Defence stating the claim was 'founded on a false premise'. They asserted that both Mr Brooks and an alleged passenger knowingly gave false accounts to insurers, legal representatives, and medical professionals. Mr Brooks subsequently discontinued his claim and agreed to pay AXA's legal costs of £4,000. He signed a Tomlin Order formally admitting his claim was dishonest, confirming he was not in the vehicle at the time of the collision. Deborah Talbot, AXA claims operations manager, said: 'This case highlights how technology is helping us to fight claims fraud. 'The dashcam footage provided clear evidence that Mr Brooks wasn't in the car at the time of the collision, avoiding a potentially costly and lengthy court hearing.' Damian Rourke, partner at Clyde & Co, added: 'Mr Brooks claimed he was sitting in his Porsche, belted up and injured. 'The dashcam showed him in the bushes. 'We still don't know what he was doing there – but we do know he wasn't in the car. His story fell apart the moment the truth came to light. 'In every sense, the claim was caught short.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Fraudster mum, 28, who faked pregnancy and stole £100,000 from her employers and boyfriend walks free from court
A mother-of-two who faked having cancer, being pregnant and stole nearly £100,000 from her employers has avoided jail. 'Selfish' Megan Reynolds, 28, racked up thousands on lavish gifts - including hotel stays, a five course dinner and clubbing in Amsterdam - using company cards before attempting to conceal them through fake invoices. She defrauded electrical machinery firm CSL Power Systems out of £78,000, who described her as a 'compulsive liar', between 2019 and 2021 before she was caught and dismissed by bosses, Maidstone Crown Court heard. But, just a month later she joined another firm, ATL Retail Limited, where she continued her behaviour - again fraudulently spending £18,500 of the company's cash on her own amenities. Her dishonest habits didn't stop there however, as the court also heard that Reynolds took out a finance agreement for over £1,000 using her boyfriend Callum Bishop's name and details without his consent. She also lied to Mr Bishop by telling him she was pregnant with a fake scan and faked having cancer to a family member to get time off work. Reynolds had initially denied the offences and a trial date was set for February this year but then, less than two weeks before she was due to take the stand, she changed her pleas to guilty. But she avoided prison after a judge decided that given her role as a mother to two small children and having not committed any further offences since being charged, it would be too harsh to put her behind bars. At her sentencing at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday, July 4, the court heard how Reynolds, of Fruit Fields Drive in Rainham, had pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud and a further three counts were ordered to lie on file. During her role at CSL Power Systems in Farningham, near Dartford, between November 6, 2019 and March 26, 2021, Reynolds undertook the book keeping and had access to the company credit cards and would assist colleges by making online purchases on their behalf. But instead, the court heard she was using the 11 company cards to make fraudulent transactions, and tried to conceal them using fake invoices. When an employee noticed a purchase did not have a matching receipt, she tasked Reynolds with reporting it to Barclaycard Bank - an action she did not take, instead providing 'fictional' updates to the company. But by February, 2021, when an employee found a bank statement for an EasyJet flight in her name, the police were called and discovered no fraud had been reported to the bank. That evening, while employees investigated, they found emails were being remotely deleted by Reynolds and she was told to stop. The prosecutor, Nick Sanders, explained how fraudulent payments included car insurance for her vehicle, bookings on and a five-course dinner, along with spending at a nightclub in Amsterdam. To cover her tracks, the court heard how an invoice for a spill kit, valued at £75.96 was used to cover-up a purchase of dog chews Reynolds had made. Meanwhile, an invoice for black frames actually matched the purchase of a 5-piece set of Tefal pans. The total amount of fraud at the company was £78,000, the court heard. But after being dismissed, within a month she was working at another firm in Sevenoaks, ATL Retail Limited, from April 26, 2021 until January 17, 2022. It was only through a chance meeting with someone from CSL that Reynolds' fraudulent past became knowledge to her new employer. ATL Retail Limited made Reynolds redundant and discovered a number of fraudulent transactions, totalling £18,500. But as well as deceiving the two businesses, the court heard how Reynolds had also been deceiving her former partner Callum Bishop from February 2019 until they split in October 2021. The night before he left he found a letter for a financial agreement from Creation Finance in his name for over £1,000 that he had never taken on. He rang the company and found out Reynolds' mobile number was linked to the loan. The prosecutor said: 'She abused her position of trust and was sophisticated in nature'. But Judge Julian Smith said: 'I do not think it is particularly sophisticated, more wounding and hurtful but not particularly sophisticated.' The court heard how the now 28-year-old, had been charged with six fraud offences, including two counts of fraud by abuse of position and four counts of fraud by false representation in 2023. Only three fraud offences, regarding CSL Power Systems, ATL Retail, and Callum Bishop were pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service and the other three charges were ordered to lie on file. The judge added: 'She had quite the network of dishonesty set up. £78,000 is a lot of money and certainly a lot of money whether it's personal or business. 'It's a very substantial impact and it is exploitative. She saw an opportunity and went after it again and again and again.' He said Reynolds was 'dishonest' and 'deceitful' and sought to enrich herself personally at others expense. 'She was given a fresh start and then did it again - straight away,' the judge added. Her defence solicitor, Lucy Kennedy, explained how the victim impact statements had caused Reynolds 'considerable distress' and that her actions were driven out of 'greed' and she is 'mortified'. Relaying Reynolds statements, the defence solicitor said: 'None of it was worth it. That is not me anymore. 'I am devastated that I have hurt them in such a way that they can't trust others in the way they used to and I am devastated that I have caused so much trauma to them.' The court heard Reynolds was 'petrified' to face her victims in the court room and has acknowledged she could be sent to prison, so had packed a small suitcase which she brought into the courtroom. The court heard how the 28-year-old now has a four-and-a-half month old baby who was born prematurely and is immunosuppressed while also being lactose-intolerant. And while the court heard that both baby's fathers are present in their children's lives, the judge considered the fact Reynolds was the 'principle' caregiver and was still breastfeeding her baby. Meanwhile, Ms Kennedy explained Reynolds' son, aged two, had undergone eye surgery for a squint and is due to have another surgery. While explaining that Reynolds' offence was a 'modern day fingers in the till' she then urged for a suspended sentence, keeping in mind her son, two, and her daughter, four-and-a-half months - adding 'that is not her anymore'. 'Keep the three of them together,' Reynolds solicitor said. In response, the prosecutor explained how Reynolds had often told lies in the past, such as pretending to a family member she had cancer to get time off work, telling Mr Bishop she was pregnant by providing a fake scan, and lying about her dog having cancer. While he said he did not doubt that Reynolds had children, the prosecutor referenced her perpetual lies to urge the judge to question information given by the mother-of-two. In his remarks, the judge said the three offences were examples of 'persistent dishonesty'. He said: 'Having faced the victims now, reflect on what it was about you to put your selfish wishes, superficial desires above everybody else. 'You were a fraudster. You were thieving,' he added. The judge handed the 28-year-old a suspended sentence of 24 months in prison for the first count, 15 months in prison for count two, and six months in prison for count three, all suspended for two years and to be served concurrently. She was given 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 200 hours unpaid work. Judge Julian Smith added: 'You are being given a chance today because of your two children. If you breach this order what you are telling the court is that you do not care.' A further hearing is set to organise a timetable of repayment for the money stolen. 'I do not expect to see you again. If I do, I am giving you a warning, do not let your children down,' the judge said. Following the conclusion of Friday's hearing her former employer CSL Power Systems recorded their disappointment at what they believe to be an unduly lenient sentence. 'As a company and on a personal level we are thoroughly disappointed with the sentencing ruling by the judge and feel it has sent out the wrong message in today's society,' a spokesperson for CSL Power Systems. 'Essentially you can steal 100K from honest businesses and walk away without ever seeing the inside of a cell as long as you have a well-timed pregnancy!' The company explained how the length of time between her crimes and sentencing has meant the victims had to wait four years for her to be brought to justice, while Reynolds had carried on with her life, in their view, 'without a care in the world'. The company claim Reynolds has never shown any remorse, or apologised for her actions. They described her as a 'compulsive liar', adding: 'We let Miss Reynolds into our lives, and after COVID she worked from offices in our home and we thought she was also a friend.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
CCTV of three women is released after £10,000 in cash is stolen from train passenger's bag
Police officers are searching for three women after £10,000 was stolen from a man's bag at a London train station. The 49-year-old victim had been carrying the huge amount of cash in an envelope when he boarded a train at Paddington station on Friday, June 20. He went through a barrier at around 9.30am and walked onto the train, supposedly followed by a group of three women. The man entered a train carriage ahead of the women, who then walked past him and exited from the opposite end. He checked his bag a 'short time later' and realised the envelope was missing from his rucksack. The British Transport Police issued an appeal on Tuesday to help identify three women who may have information which could help their investigation. The force released CCTV images of a brunette woman wearing a white cap and sunglasses, another wearing a stripy cap and white top and a third dressed in all white, with a red and beige cap. BTP has asked for anyone who recognises the group to contact them by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 170 of 20 June. Cops are also searching for this woman seen wearing a stripy cap and white top in connection with the incident on Friday, June 20 BTP said in a statement: 'Officers investigating after £10,000 in cash was stolen from a man's bag have released these images in connection. 'At around 9.30am on Friday 20 June a 49-year-old man went through a barrier at Paddington railway station. He was followed on to a train by three women who then walked through the carriage and left at the opposite end. 'The victim sat down and checked his bag a short time later when he realised £10,000 in cash in an envelope was missing from his rucksack. 'Officers believe the women in the images may have information which could help their investigation. 'Anyone who recognises them is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 170 of 20 June.'
