Bungling prison plumber jailed after accidentally recording incriminating footage of himself

A bungling prison plumber who took his mobile phone into a jail accidentally recorded incriminating footage of himself helping an inmate recover another smuggled phone.
Kirkham PrisonKirkham Prison
Kirkham Prison

Daniel Hammond, 25, was found out when staff found his own phone, which he had tried to use as a torch, during a routine staff search at HMP Kirkham.

Hammond, of King George Avenue, North Shore, admitted conveying a prohibited item into the jail between December 2016 and February 2017 and was jailed for eight months by Recorder David Swinnerton, who said a deterrent sentence must be passed, at Preston Crown Court

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He added: “As an employee, although you weren’t a prison officer, you were in a position of trust. You were going into a secure environment.

“It’s clear you knew full well this was a prohibited article.”

Judith McCulloch, prosecuting at Preston Crown Court, said he had been employed by Amey, which was under contract with HMP Kirkham.

She said: “That position gave him unlimited and uncontrolled access to the prison.

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“On February 8 a search of all staff was undertaken which happens at least once per year.

“He was asked if he had any unauthorised items and he volunteered a Samsung mobile phone.”

Police found short videos from September 6 and 7 showing two men in a roof space above prison accommodation, attempting to remove a package hidden in a cavity wall.

A custody manager identified one man as an inmate and revealed contraband had been concealed in sacks and laundry bags and lowered into cavity walls.

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Defending, Richard Archer said Hammond had no social life outside the prison because he had left friends behind when he moved to Blackpool from Scotland.

He added: “He had also worked at HMP Garth. He saw a stark difference between prison life there and discovered the division between inmates and employees of the open prison was far less profound than in a closed prison.”