Gorby

 

Kirstie Mitchell aroused the suspicions of officers as she visited a prisoner at HMP Lowdham Grange.

Prison officers, working for Serco who manage the prison, observed the visit and became suspicious of their behaviour.

They decided to search the prisoner at the end of the visit and found he had been given two sausage-shaped brown packages containing cannabis and tobacco.

Mitchell, of Willow Drive, Groby, Leicestershire, was arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to conveying a list A prohibited article into prison.

The 26-year-old was jailed for eight months when she appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (22 July 2021).

Neighbourhood Inspector Charlotte Allardice, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We have a duty to ensure our communities are safe, including the prison community, and that means bringing people like Mitchell – who admitted taking drugs into HMP Lowdham Grange - to justice.

“This type of activity jeopardises the good order of prisons and leads to difficult working environments for staff.

“I hope the prison sentence handed in this case serves as a deterrent for anyone considering embarking on a similar venture."

Karen Cousins, Serco’s Deputy Director at HMP Lowdham Grange, said: “We have a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs at HMP Lowdham Grange. I would like to praise the quick-thinking of the Serco prison officers and the police who stepped in to stop this attempt to smuggle drugs into the prison and ensure the perpetrators were brought to justice.”