Latest news with #prisonservice
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
How EncroChat crackdown uncovered Kerri Pegg's affair with inmate
Kerri Pegg was considered a rising star of the prison service after a career change - but is now starting a nine year who had spent eight years as a probation officer, was convicted of misconduct in public office and possession of criminal property for her affair with drug dealer Anthony rose through the ranks quickly after joining as a graduate in 2012, and by April 2018 was in the top job at HMP Kirkham in Lancashire. But behind the scenes, it is now evident Pegg was struggling financially - with four "maxed out" credit cards and 6p in her savings account. Even before her move to the top job, her previous boss at HMP Liverpool had pulled her up on undeclared County Court Judgments (CCJ) - which are considered a corruption risk. But in her office in Kirkham far more serious conflict of interests was beginning to develop. Already serving his sentence was Anthony Saunderson, a career criminal from Liverpool convicted of his involvement in smuggling cocaine in shipments of corned beef from trial in Preston Crown Court had heard there were concerns over Pegg's relationship to Saunderson from early on in her tenure at HMP Kirkham. The "bubbly" and "chatty" prison governor would spend significant periods in her office with Saunderson - with the door closed. Whether or not Saunderson was using Pegg or their relationship was genuine - his time with her appeared to pay off in October 2018 when she approved an application for his early release on temporary licence - despite not having the authority to do so. With Saunderson a free man, they continued to spend time together on the outside. In court, Pegg said at the time she was responsible for delivering the drug strategy for six jails in the north-west of England. Saunderson, meanwhile, was developing and delivering a programme called Beating Alcohol and Drug Dependency (BADD) for inmates at several so she told the jury, their relationship was based on professional interests which she claimed was why they stayed in touch. However Saunderson had not given up his criminal interests and in 2022 he was back in police custody - charged with being involved in an enormous injectable amphetamine production plot based out of premises in Sealand in Flintshire, north Wales. His downfall, like hundreds of other serious criminals in the UK, had been his trust in the Encrochat encrypted phone network - which was believed to be impenetrable. However after its servers were hacked in 2019, police across Europe could follow the messages of its users in real-time exposing a treasure-trove of evidence on organised criminals. Saunderson, it later emerged, was the man behind the Encrochat handles Jesse Pinkman - a reference to the meth dealer in the Breaking Bad television series - and James Gandolfini, the acclaimed actor who played Mafia boss Tony received a 31-year prison sentence in August 2022 for producing and dealing amphetamines as well as trafficking heroin, cocaine, cannabis, ketamine, MCAT and diazepam - plus firearms charges. But on top of his drugs business, detectives found concerning references to his relationship with Pegg. Messages between his fellow drug traffickers expressed concerns about how much time he was spending with her away from "business". That investigation also revealed she had accepted a £12,000 Mercedes car as a gift from Saunderson, which North Wales Police found had been paid for with 34kg of amphetamines. With enough to arrest Pegg, detectives raided her home in Wigan, Greater Manchester, and found further increasingly damning evidence. A pair of men's size 10 Hugo Boss flip-flops, clearly not the footwear of the Pegg, and a toothbrush were both tested and DNA profiles matching Saunderson were present. Pegg denied any inappropriate relationship with Saunderson in court, and said the only explanation she had for the presence of Saunderson's DNA in her flat was the fact she sometimes took her toothbrush with her to prison. The jury at Preston Crown Court did not believe her. On 8 April she was convicted of two counts of misconduct in a public office relating to her relationship with Saunderson and her failure to disclose her debts. She was also found guilty of possession of criminal property, in relation to the Mercedes she accepted from Saunderson. Judge Graham Knowles KC remanded her in custody ahead of her sentencing and told her: "I have no choice but to send you to prison due to the gravity of your offending." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
HMP Berwyn inspection sees rise in violence and drug use
UK's largest prison sees violence and drug use rise 6 minutes ago Share Save Oscar Edwards BBC News Share Save Getty Images The report found drug use and violence had increased at the prison since the previous inspection The UK's largest prison has been criticised after an inspection found a rise in levels of drug use and increased violence. A report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said progress at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham was being hampered by an influx of prisoners from overcrowded jails in England. But the report added a relatively-new prison governor had displayed "capable" leadership qualities and staff recruitment had improved. A prison service spokesperson said a "comprehensive action plan" was underway at the prison to address issues around drug use and self-harm. HMP Berwyn opened in February 2017 and is the largest public sector prison in England and Wales. A previous report about the jail, conducted in 2022, said a lack of staff was having a big impact on the prison. The new report said "drugs were more available, and levels of violence and self-harm were much higher" than the last inspection three years ago, with the rates of self-harm among the highest compared to similar jails. The prison's safety score has now been rated as "not sufficiently good" compared to "reasonably good" previously. But its score for inmates' preparation for release has increased from "not sufficiently good" to "reasonably good". Getty Images The mainly category C prison is one of the biggest jails in Europe and houses just under 2,000 inmates Prisoners who were spoken to said they "appreciated" staff checking up on them, the report said, but they were not always effective in resolving the "underlying issues" leading to self-harm. HMP Berwyn was originally built to service the courts in north Wales but the report highlighted how "population pressures" had changed that. The Wrexham prison was holding 1,937 men at the time of the latest unannounced inspection which took place in January and February. The report said: "On this inspection, around 200 prisoners were remanded or unsentenced prisoners, many of whom were coming from courts in Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Lancashire, with some prisoners coming from as far as Preston." Getty Images Many unemployed prisoners got 'as little as two hours unlocked' according to the report The report was also critical of how prisoners spend their days with "too many" not having enough to occupy their time. It said 25% of inmates were unemployed and 27% in part-time work or education at the prison. The report added: "Attendance in education and training was low at 70% despite the teaching being generally of a reasonable standard." Those who were in full-time work could expect to get much more time of of their cell, the inspection found. Meanwhile, many unemployed prisoners got "as little as two hours unlocked", according to the report. It said these factors were "no doubt" a cause of boredom and drug-taking in the prison. Random tests showed drugs were "being used by 33%" of the prison population. The report added purposeful activity was "particularly limited" for those on the vulnerable prisoner wings. Getty Images The report also praised prison staff for maintaining 'some outstanding initiatives' Prisoner living conditions were said to be "good" with the jail's 24 wings all providing a "decent standard of accommodation". The report said each cell had a shower "which prisoners greatly appreciated". It also found the prison had undertaken a successful recruitment drive to rectify staffing issues which have been present since 2017. The report praised prison staff for maintaining "some outstanding initiatives" at the prison. This included the physical education programme for prisoners involved in violence to improve "communication and interpersonal skills". Getty Images The report said prisoners had benefitted from physical education programmes at the prison
