Prison governor jailed after taking £12k Mercedes from drug gang lover she let out early

Daily Record

16-05-2025

Kerri Pegg, 42, swapped her Honda Jazz for a £12,000 Mercedes C class car, paid for by 34 kilos of amphetamines by Anthony Saunderson, a major organised crime boss, who is now serving 35 years behind bars.
A disgraced prison governor who fell in love with a dangerous drug gang boss and let him out early has been jailed — after accepting a £12,000 Mercedes he bought her using dirty money.
Kerri Pegg, 42, has been sentenced to three years behind bars after a court heard how she abused her position at HMP Kirkham to start a secret affair with inmate Anthony Saunderson, a convicted drug trafficker who used the alias "Jesse Pinkman" — a nod to the Breaking Bad character.
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Pegg, described as a 'rising star' in the prison service, rubber-stamped Saunderson's temporary release in 2018 without the required checks or authorisation. It was a decision that allowed him to return to his criminal empire and continue trafficking drugs across the country.
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But their relationship didn't stop there. In 2020, Saunderson used cash from his criminal network to buy Pegg a black Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe, worth £12,000. The flash motor was delivered straight to her home in Wigan — and the whole deal was arranged via encrypted messages on the EncroChat network, reports the Mirror.
Using criminal slang, Saunderson messaged associates saying he'd paid '12 quid for her motor,' making it clear the funds came from his drug dealings. When police searched Pegg's home, they found the car parked outside — along with Saunderson's toothbrush, flip-flops, and designer clothes inside the house.
Prosecutors told Preston Crown Court that Pegg was 'completely compromised,' adding that she had significant personal debt and multiple county court judgments, making her susceptible to exploitation by someone like Saunderson.
But they also pointed out that Pegg knew exactly what she was doing — and had actively helped a dangerous criminal stay one step ahead of the law.
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Despite denying all charges and claiming she had been manipulated by Saunderson, Pegg was convicted of two counts of misconduct in public office and one of possessing criminal property.
Sentencing her this week, Judge Simon Medland KC told Pegg: 'You allowed yourself to become emotionally involved with a man who you knew to be a serious criminal. You failed in your duty and compromised the integrity of the prison system. Your fall from grace is dramatic — but it is entirely of your own making.'
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The judge added that Pegg's actions had damaged public trust and posed 'a real risk to public safety,' especially given the high level of trust placed in senior prison officers.
Following the sentencing, a Prison Service spokesperson said: 'We expect the highest standards from our staff and will not hesitate to take action when those are breached. This individual betrayed her position and the public, and justice has now been served.'