Latest news with #HMPPeterborough
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Telegraph
Prisoner punched fellow inmate to death in row over vapes
An inmate at HMP Peterborough has been convicted of murder after punching another prisoner to death in an argument over vapes. Jordan Neale punched Gareth Jones three times on July 12 2024. Jones was knocked out in the brawl, and had to be placed on life support at nearby Peterborough city hospital. Jones was suffering a bleed to the brain, and his life support was turned off the next day. Following the attack, which took place in one of the jails cells, Neale made two phone calls, where he told a friend he had 'f---ed up and killed someone'. It later emerged, whilst Neale was being interviewed by police, that he had given Jones £80, in return for vapes. On the day of the assault, the pair had a verbal disagreement in the dinner queue over the promised vapes before returning to Jones' cell. Jones proceeded to spit in Neale's face, and was then punched three times in the head and chest. HMP Peterborough currently houses Nicholas Prosper, who murdered his mother, brother and sister and plotted to carry out a school shooting, as well as Lucy Letby in its female wing. On Friday, Neale was sentenced to 16 years and six months for murder, following a ten-day trial. Det Insp Dale Mepstead, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: 'This was an unprovoked attack with catastrophic consequences. Neale admitted he didn't know his own strength and saw red. 'Our thoughts remain with Mr Jones' family as they continue to come to terms with their loss.' In a statement, Jones' family said: 'Gareth, our brother, uncle and father, lost his rights to life in such a horrific way. This has left a big hole in our hearts that will never heal. We are truly heartbroken. He will never be forgotten.'
BBC News
18-07-2025
- BBC News
HMP Peterborough prisoner killed fellow inmate over vape debt
A prisoner who murdered a fellow inmate in a dispute over a vape debt has been jailed for Neale, 27, punched Gareth Jones, 42, a number of times at HMP Peterborough in a six-second attack in July 2024, having effectively trapped him in his cell, the city's crown court later died, and the court was told the evidence showed it was "clear and obvious" that the jail was understaffed that him to a minimum of 16 years and six months, Judge Sean Enright said, "fighting had become a way of life" for Neale. Prosecutor Charles Myatt told the court Neale, who was a "considerably larger individual, "followed Jones into his cell and blocked his way said Jones was subjected to a "minimum of 10 impacts" before he later died in hospital. Mr Myatt told the court Neale had a "long list of previous convictions", including for battery, threatening behaviour and harassment. Sally Hobson, mitigating, said the attack lasted "a maximum of six seconds".She said Neale's "default was to use his fist" but said he had been in contact with the victim's family "with a view to assisting them to deal with the consequences of his actions".Speaking about his state of mind, Ms Hobson said prior to the attack, Neale had stopped using the drug spice while on remand, and it was "well known many of the prisoners were using" added it was "clear and obvious that the prison appeared to be understaffed" on the day of the incident. As well as being found guilty of murder, Neale was also sentenced for other incidents. He admitted two counts of grievous bodily harm without intent on two separate victims, as well as stalking and battery of his Enright said he had seen videos of Neale assaulting people "with a ferocity and expertise I have not seen in many a year".He said an apology offered to Jones's family during the trial was a "rehearsed piece of evidence".After the hearing, Det Sgt Mark Dollard described the level of violence as "appalling", adding: "Jordan Neale has essentially killed a man over a small vape debt."The level of violence he has shown was completely disproportionate for the argument that they had."The prison operator Sodexo has been contacted for comment. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Sun
27-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
I went to see Lucy Connolly in prison and what she told me about her treatment proves there is a two-tier justice system
I HEARD shocking allegations last week that Lucy Connolly – the mother slung in prison for a tweet during the Southport riots – was being badly mistreated inside. As an MP with special privileges, I was able to make a hastily-arranged visit to HMP Peterborough to speak to her for myself. 4 4 What she told me was deeply sinister, and has left me genuinely concerned that someone, somewhere, is trying to keep her locked up for longer. It has been almost a year since Lucy, in a moment of madness, posted on X urging her followers to 'set fire' to migrant hotels. The mum from Northampton was summarily banged up for 31 months with a conviction for inciting racial hatred and has had subsequent appeals chucked out. The whole point of justice is it has to have the confidence of the people it serves — to be decent, fair and equally applied. But while those who upset the 'Keir brigade' are locked up in jail, drug-dealing illegal migrants claim they can't be deported for ludicrous reasons. Ludicrous reasons It is clear confidence is rapidly disappearing down the plug hole, replaced by a genuine fear that we have moved to a two-tier justice system. And so it seems, too, with Lucy's experience in prison. Until last Thursday, she told me she basically had no complaints about her treatment apart from a few niggles. She had been told very clearly all along that, because she was a model prisoner, she was going to what was essentially the 'good girls wing'. Then suddenly she was informed that she would actually be incarcerated in the 'naughty girls wing' for the more violent inmates. Naturally, she was pretty upset with this and challenged the decision — and it was as she was making her case in the adjudication room she noticed lots of wardens gathering around her. It was on seeing the nurse hovering outside that she clocked something bad was about to happen, because a medic is always present whenever officers are preparing to use force. And sure enough, they jumped on her, flattened her on the floor, pushed her arms right behind her back and slapped on very tight handcuffs. She then described to me being bent over and dragged three flights of stairs to the naughty girls wing, where she was thrown in the cell for the rest of the day with no lunch or tea. 4 4 Why would they go from using the lightest form of restraint to the most severe in the blink of an eye? It's so inexplicable that I genuinely believe you have to think the unthinkable: they are trying to provoke a reaction to say she has got violent tendencies and deny early release. Or have they put her on a wing riddled with drugs, to plant some in her cell? I have demanded the head of security reviews all the bodycam footage to get to the bottom of what happened. There's a very, very bad potential there. I told Lucy: 'You've got to stay calm — don't allow yourself to be provoked.' She assured me that she had not reacted. Staying in prison for a second longer than she has to is not an option. Her situation is horrendous. She's got a desperately worried husband and a distressed daughter. But she is resilient. Shaken up — and with visible bruises — but resilient, and over our chat, she was completely lucid, rational and intelligent. Massive mistake We didn't spend much time raking over her tweet — she obviously feels it was a massive mistake she regrets. But when the inmates in her new wing asked what she was in for — and she replied 'a tweet' — they literally fell about laughing. Imagine: Violent, drug-taking women collapsing into laughter being told that someone had joined them because she'd sent a nasty tweet. Judgments like this are why I proposed 'Lucy's Law', so a sentence is triple-checked by a review commission if enough people object via a petition. The quantity of emails and messages I have received supporting this has been incredible — we have captured the public mood. It seems many judges took Starmer's speech after the Southport riots — hitting out at 'far-right thugs' — as an order to hand down extremely harsh sentences. I am also deeply concerned that legal aid lawyers deliberately and wrongly advised them all to plead guilty, saying they would get lighter sentences. That has proved a deception. I think the legal system at best has let itself down. At worst, it has been conspiratorial with the Prime Minister.
Scottish Sun
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Tory councillor's wife jailed for racist Southport tweet is being ‘mistreated' in prison, Reform's Richard Tice claims
She was jailed for tweets about the Southport killer RIOT SHAME Tory councillor's wife jailed for racist Southport tweet is being 'mistreated' in prison, Reform's Richard Tice claims Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE wife of a Tory councillor who was jailed for making racist tweets in the aftermath of the Southport murders is being "mistreated" in prison, it is claimed. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice says Lucy Connolly has been handcuffed and stripped of her privileges by prison officers. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice Credit: PA 4 Lucy Connolly, who was sentenced to 31 months in prisonfor inciting racial hatred against asylum seekers Credit: PA 4 The childminder published the comments on her X account Credit: Connolly posted comments on her X account just hours after teenager Axel Rudakubana murdered three girls in the Merseyside town on July 29 last year. He alleges Connolly - married to Tory Raymond Connolly - is being "manhandled without provocation" after visiting her today at HMP Peterborough. Mr Tice told reporters: "Five days after the incident, the bruises on her wrists are still significant – yellow. It was obviously horrible what she went through. "On Thursday, she was manhandled, mistreated with no provocation. She was denied enhanced accommodation to which she was entitled and they gave her, frankly, the Nutters Wild Wing – druggies, violence. "You have to think it's politically motivated. I think the next few weeks before her release are going to be very challenging, worrying. "I think it would suit the authorities to want to provoke a violent reaction from Lucy. I told Lucy to be very careful." He went on to say he met with HMP Peterborough's head of security, explaining: "He is looking at the complaint seriously. When we get the result of that complaint – if they have 'lost' the bodycam footage or any of that funny business then I will escalate the complaint and meet the Governor. Mr Tice added: "I genuinely fear that she is actually being treated as a political prisoner for political purposes." Connolly, 41, shared a call to arms following the deaths of Bebe King, six, nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven. Posts wrongly claimed monster Rudakubana was a Muslim asylum seeker when he was actually born in Cardiff and raised Christian. Connolly wrote: "Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... "If that makes me racist, so be it." Riots erupted across the country as thugs clashed with police and targeted hotels housing asylum seekers. After her post, Connolly sent a WhatsApp joking it had "bitten me on the a**e, lol". She also said if she were to get arrested over it, she would "play the mental health card". She was jailed for 31 months in October after admitting publishing threatening or abusive material intending to stir up racial hatred. Connolly launched a bid against her "harsh" sentence but this was thrown out by Court of Appeal judges in May. Mr Connolly previously defended his wife after she pleaded guilty - saying the case had been "traumatic" for her and their three children. He revealed their son died in 2012 after a series of NHS blunders so when his wife sees any child get harmed, "she will kick off". The councillor also branded Connolly "an upset housewife" and "just a middle aged mother" who got dragged into the situation by misinformation spreading online. He added: "The stuff I hear is not really Lucy, she's probably the opposite of what she's having to admit to but she knows she's overstepped the mark and there's consequences for it," he said. "Hopefully she'll be able to learn from this and move on with her life." Connolly also tried to make a U-turn on her vile comments - claiming she was acting on "false and malicious" information. But the Crown Prosecution Service said she told police she did not like immigrants in her custody interview.
The Sun
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Tory councillor's wife jailed for racist Southport tweet is being ‘mistreated' in prison, Reform's Richard Tice claims
THE wife of a Tory councillor who was jailed for making racist tweets in the aftermath of the Southport murders is being "mistreated" in prison, it is claimed. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice says Lucy Connolly has been handcuffed and stripped of her privileges by prison officers. 2 2 Connolly posted comments on her X account just hours after teenager Axel Rudakubana murdered three girls in the Merseyside town on July 29 last year. He alleges Connolly - married to Tory Raymond Connolly - is being "manhandled without provocation" after visiting her today at HMP Peterborough. Mr Tice told reporters: "Five days after the incident, the bruises on her wrists are still significant – yellow. It was obviously horrible what she went through. "On Thursday, she was manhandled, mistreated with no provocation. She was denied enhanced accommodation to which she was entitled and they gave her, frankly, the Nutters Wild Wing – druggies, violence. "You have to think it's politically motivated. I think the next few weeks before her release are going to be very challenging, worrying. "I think it would suit the authorities to want to provoke a violent reaction from Lucy. I told Lucy to be very careful." He went on to say he met with HMP Peterborough's head of security, explaining: "He is looking at the complaint seriously. When we get the result of that complaint – if they have 'lost' the bodycam footage or any of that funny business then I will escalate the complaint and meet the Governor. Mr Tice added: "I genuinely fear that she is actually being treated as a political prisoner for political purposes." 41-year-old childminder Connolly wrote: "Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... "If that makes me racist, so be it." She was jailed for 31 months in October after admitting publishing threatening or abusive material intending to stir up racial hatred. Connolly launched a bid against her "harsh" sentence but this was thrown out by Court of Appeal judges in May.
