Inmate’s threat ‘to take contracts out on jail boss’ kids’
APRISONER found out the names of the prison governor’s family and her address and threatened to have her house “obliterated” if he was not transferred to an English prison.
Jamie Johnson, 31, was a serving prisoner at HMP Parc in Bridgend when he made threats to the director of the prison, Janet Wallsgrove.
He said if his demands were not met he would “send round the boys” to her family home and even claimed he had “taken contracts out” on her children.
In a letter addressed to the governor, which included her address, the names of her husband and her children, Johnson said: “All I want is my property bringing down to seg (sic) my canteen 2day and a ship out back to my area within the next seven days and I will keep these details to myself.
“If staff are being d*** heads with me now it will only cause problems at the above place/home. If I get what I ask for nothing go’s (sic) any thurther (sic) then it has to.”
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday heard Johnson was placed in the Phoenix Discipline Unit at the prison after he had assaulted three prison officers on July 27 last year.
Four days after being placed in the unit – known as “the block” or “the seg” – the defendant had his mail delivered and passed a custody officer a piece of paper, saying “You better have this”. The paper contained the address of Mrs Wallsgrove, as well as the names of her family.
Prosecutor Tim Evans said Johnson smirked when asked what he intended to do with the information.
He later handed the blackmail letter to senior manager Carly Rees and gave a list of three prisons in the north of England he wished to be transferred to.
On July 31, Johnson called a family member, which was recorded and listened to by the prison authorities.
During the conversation, he said: “I have the governor’s address, her husband’s name and her kid’s name. I am going to say they have seven days to ship me out or I’ll get the boys to go round.”
Numerous calls between Johnson and his sister followed.
During these calls, he said the house would be “totally obliterated”.
At the time of the blackmail offence, he was a serving a twoyear sentence for possession of a knife in prison.
In mitigation, Iain Johnstone said his client had two young children and had wished to be moved to a prison nearer home but had become “frustrated” after 13 requests to be transferred had come to nothing.
Sentencing, Judge Tracey LloydClarke said: “What you tried to do would completely undermine prison discipline.
“Those who work in prisons should be able to do so without fear for their lives or those of their family.”
Johnson was sentenced to a total of six years’ imprisonment.