HMP Lindholme: UK's biggest prison drug-smuggling gang sentenced

A mental health nurse at the heart of the biggest prison drug-smuggling ring, who started a relationship with an inmate before flooding a jail with contraband has been jailed for over 10 years for her part in what is believed to be the UK’s largest ever prison drugs conspiracy.

Seventeen people have been convicted over the smuggling of drugs, weapons and mobile phones into HMP Lindholme, near Doncaster, between 2018 and 2020.

On Friday (27 October) Judge Kirstie Watson handed down sentences totalling almost 90 years for 16 defendants, and the 17th defendant, William Francis, will be sentenced at a later date.

Sheffield Crown Court heard six of the defendants were serving prisoners who co-ordinated the smuggling network and sold the prohibited items to other inmates, while others were partners, parents and siblings who were recruited to smuggle the items into the jail and launder the proceeds through their bank accounts.

Amy Hatfield, who was employed as a mental health support worker at the prison, became “infatuated” with “heavily convicted” inmate Joseph Whittingham in 2018 and the pair started a sexual relationship, before he recruited her to take part in the conspiracy, it was said.

Whittingham, 35, had a “leading role” in the operation and also recruited his wife Lucy and father Paul to receive payments for the contraband.

Judge Watson said he “exploited” Hatfield’s feelings for him and arranged for drugs and other banned items to be delivered to her and told Hatfield: “When (Whittingham) first expressed feelings for you, instead of reporting it to your supervisors as you were trained to do, you embraced it.”

The relationship escalated to “sexual activity within the prison and the exchanging of images”, the court heard.

Judge Watson told Hatfield the relationship was “a significant breach of trust” and outlined how she “abused your position to convey prohibited items” into the prison “for financial gain”.

“It must have been clear to you the impact that increased drug use was having, and yet you continued to flood HMP Lindholme with drugs and phones. You even brought in a knife,” the judge said.

Hatfield, 38, was stopped and searched as she arrived for work in October 2019 by police officers who found she was carrying £1 million of contraband including MDMA, bags of ketamine, spice paper, vials of testosterone, anabolic steroids, mobile phones, phone accessories, tobacco and other prescription drugs. She also had four Ribena bottles with her, which contained around two litres of liquid spice.

A subsequent search of the mental health unit where she worked found a further litre of spice and in the months and years after her arrest, officers discovered a “highly complex criminal network” operating inside HMP Lindholme.

Judge Watson said the number of incidents in the prison where inmates were found under the influence of drugs “significantly increased” during Hatfield’s time there, and went down after her arrest, although the conspiracy did continue after she left.

The court heard that in September 2019 an inmate died after taking spice, which toxicology tests found matched a batch of the drug recovered from Hatfield upon her arrest.

Another inmate who was sold spice by Jordan Needham, another of the conspirators, spent 10 days in a coma and lost the use of his legs and full sight in one of his eyes, it was said.

The judge said drug dealing in prison was “an instrument of exploitation, oppression and power” and “undermined discipline and good order” as well as having an “impact on the health of those who take drugs”.

The court heard the conspiracy involved the supply of class A drugs MDMA and heroin, class B drugs including spice and cannabis, and mobile phones and charging cables, all of which “sold for considerably more than they would in the outside world”.

– Amy Hatfield, 38, of HMP New Hall, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to supply class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey phones into prison, conveying knives into prison and money laundering. She has been sentenced to 10 years and two months in prison.

– Joseph Whittingham, 35, of HMP Leeds, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey a knife into prison and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has been sentenced to 11 years and four months in prison

– Anthony Campbell, 38, of HMP Dovegate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has been sentenced to 11 years in prison

– Deborah Stoddard (Anthony Campbell’s mother), 56, of Shorefields Village, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey knives into prison, conspiracy to convey phones into prison, and money laundering. She has been sentenced to nine years and six months in prison.

– Kieran Murphy, 26, of HMP Altcourse, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B drugs and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He was also found guilty by a jury after a four-day trial at Sheffield Crown Court in June 2023 of conspiring to convey knives into prison. He has been sentenced to seven years and nine months in prison

– Jordan Needham, 31, of HMP Dovegate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to supply class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has been sentenced to nine years and six months in prison

– Courtney Ward (Jordan Needham’s girlfriend), 26, of Harvey Close, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to supply class B drugs. She has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison

– Audrey Needham (Jordan Needham’s mother), 56, of Comfrey Close, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B drugs and money laundering. She has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison

– Leighton Kemp, 29, of Erewash Gardens, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey phones into prison, and money laundering. He has been sentenced to five years in prison

– Paul Whittingham, 59, of Halifax Road, Bradford, was found guilty of money laundering at trial. He was found not guilty of conspiracy to supply class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He was handed a 20-month suspended sentence and a community order in relation to the money laundering offence

– Lucy Whittingham, 37, from Bradford, pleaded guilty to money laundering. She has been handed a two-year suspended sentence and a community order

– William Francis, 56, of Hogan Gardens, Nottingham, pleaded guilty on the sixth day of his trial to possession with intent to supply drugs and conveying drugs into prison

– Lee Holmes, 44, of Sylvia Terrace, Stanley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison and money laundering. He has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison

– Aneeze Williamson, 30, of HMP Leeds, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B drugs and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has been sentenced to five years and five months in prison

– Kora Haley (Aneeze Williamson’s girlfriend), 30, of Holme Lane, Bradford, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B drugs, conspiracy to convey phones into prison and money laundering. She has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison

– Natalie Williamson (Aneeze Williamson’s sister), 35, of West Royd Drive, Shipley, pleaded guilty to money laundering and being concerned in the supply of class B drugs. She has been sentenced to 12 months in prison

– Lydia Pinnington (Kieran Murphy’s girlfriend), 23, of Clieves Road, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to a charge of money laundering. She was cleared of conspiracy to convey drugs into prison and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. She was handed a 14-month suspended sentence and a community order in relation to the money laundering offence.