Four sentenced for roles in smuggling items into HMP Guys Marsh
Four people have been sentenced for their roles in a ‘deliberate, criminal enterprise’ which resulted in a significant number of prohibited items and drugs being smuggled into HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset.
Matthew Langdown, 36, of Severn Road, Ferndown, Dorset, Brian Grady, 39, of no fixed abode, Paul O’Shea, 43, of Wick Road, Bristol, and Kady Griffin, 34, of Goulston Walk, Bristol, were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Monday 30 March.
Langdown pleaded guilty to conspiring to convey prohibited articles into a prison, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, and misconduct in a public office and will serve concurrent custodial sentences totalling four-and-a-half years.
Grady pleaded guilty to conspiring to convey prohibited articles into a prison and will serve four years in prison, O’Shea also admitted conspiring to convey prohibited articles into a prison and will serve a 23-month custodial sentence. Griffin was convicted of the same offence and received an 18-month term of imprisonment which was suspended for two years.
All four were charged in April last year for their roles in the conspiracy to smuggle prohibited items (Drugs, mobile phones, and SIM cards) into HMP Guys Marsh, and the charges covered the period between January and September 2023.
Grady, a prisoner at HMP Guys Marsh, arranged for contraband items to be smuggled into the prison by Langdown, a prison officer at the same prison who used protein powder tubs to bypass security checks before Grady distributed the contraband items to other prisoners.
O’Shea and Griffin assisted the enterprise from outside the prison by providing Langdown with the items to take into the prison and by collecting payments from associates of the inmates who were purchasing the items from Grady within the prison.
Enquiries established that on nine occasions between January and August 2023, O’Shea or Griffin met Langdown in several locations in Dorset and Wiltshire for the purpose of handing Langdown the prohibited items to take into the prison or to pass him money for doing so.
Financial enquiries identified payments totalling over £60,000 made into the bank accounts of Griffin and O’Shea which were shown to have come from accounts of associates of serving inmates at HMP Guys Marsh and, in some cases, from bank accounts in the name of the inmates themselves.
Additional financial enquiries showed a number of payments had been made via Western Union from O’Shea to Langdown totalling thousands of pounds.
On 26 September 2023, Langdown and Griffin were arrested from their home addresses on suspicion of being part of a conspiracy to convey prohibited articles into the prison.
A search of the home address of O’Shea on the same morning found a protein powder tub containing the following items:
- Thousands of Capsules which were later examined and found to be Pregabalin (a Class C drug)
- 22 Smart Phones
- 20 Sim Cards
- 20 Charging Cables
- 4G Router
The items are estimated to have a value in prison of between £90,000 and £190,000.
On a mobile phone belonging to Langdown, evidence was found indicating that he was also involved in the supply of cocaine to others outside of the prison.
DI Tim Seaman, the senior investigating officer for Avon & Somerset Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Team, said: “Langdown, Grady, O’Shea and Griffin were part of an organised and deliberate criminal enterprise that sought to profit from undermining the security and safety of HMP Guys Marsh.
Langdown abused his position as a serving prison officer to smuggle significant quantities of prohibited items into the prison, including drugs and mobile phones; enabling Grady to distribute them for substantial financial gain. This criminality created an illegal market within the prison which can create debt and fuel violence, it would have also undoubtedly facilitated ongoing criminal activity by other serving prisoners through use of illicit mobile telephones.
“Our investigations into organised crime do not stop at the prison gates. Where we identify corruption, we will relentlessly pursue those responsible and bring them to justice – Corrupt staff represent a very small minority, but their actions have a disproportionate and deeply damaging impact on the safety, integrity, and stability of our prisons.
“This complex case is the result of a meticulous investigation by my team and exceptional partnership work with the HMPPS Counter Corruption Unit and the CPS Complex Casework Unit. The guilty pleas and convictions reflect the strength of the evidence gathered and our shared commitment to protecting the public from organised crime and safeguarding the prison estate from corruption.”
PC Mark Paterson, a Corruption Investigator for the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) said: “This case demonstrates exactly how dangerous corruption can be when criminal networks seek to exploit positions of trust. The individuals involved showed a calculated willingness to compromise the safety and integrity of the prison environment for their own gain.
“I hope these sentences send a clear message that corruption and criminality will be relentlessly pursued, wherever it occurs.”
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Our Counter-Corruption Unit worked closely with police to uncover this despicable behaviour.
“The overwhelming majority of Prison Service staff are hardworking and honest, but as this case shows, we will always take robust action when officers fall below our high standards.”