Prison officer jailed for smuggling phones and drugs

An investigation by specialists working in the East Midlands Special Operations Unit's (EMSOU) prison intelligence unit has led to a prison officer being jailed for six years.

James Speirs had been smuggling phones and drugs to inmates while working at HMP Gartree in Leicestershire.

The 30-year-old of Stowe Drive, Rugby, was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Friday 4 September after pleading guilty to five offences.

For more than four years, detectives working in EMSOU's Regional Prison Intelligence Unit (RPIU) have been investigating Speirs’ involvement in supplying contraband to criminals after he was arrested in October 2022.

During a search of his home address, police recovered and seized 13 mobiles, five SIM cards and cannabis-infused sweets – all believed to be items to be smuggled into prison.

The offending occurred in a five-month period, between 1 June and 6 October 2022. Speirs is believed to have received more than £12,000 during this time for bringing the items into prison.

Following a lengthy investigation, he was charged in April this year with misconduct in a public office, two counts of conspiracy to supply a class B drug and two counts of conspiracy to bring a list B prohibited article into prison.

He pleaded guilty to the offences in July.

Detective Inspector Richard Cornell from the RPIU said: “In committing these offences Speirs has abused his position of trust as a prison officer. Not only was he smuggling these items into HMP Gartree, but he was also profiting financially for committing these crimes.

“Our investigation to establish Speirs involvement was extremely complex but faced with the overwhelming evidence against him, he had no choice but to plead guilty to all five offences.”