Jailed entrepreneur introduces Minister

A YOUNG Yorkshire entrepreneur who was sent to prison for selling drugs at a music festival described the “horrible” experience as he introduced Justice Secretary David Gauke at conference.

Jacob Hill, from Brighouse, made headlines as a teenage businessman, setting up The Lazy Camper brand at 19 and being named Yorkshire’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013.

He was caught selling drugs at a music festival in an attempt to pay off his debts, and was sentenced to 28 months in prison. But while serving 294 days of his sentence, he had a turning point, which led to him launching Offploy – a HR company that looks to support large organisations with designing and implementing an ex-offender hiring strategy. During his time in jail he volunteered with the Samaritans prison Listener scheme, in which inmates offer confidential peer support to fellow prisoners. Describing his arrest, Mr Hill, whose parents both worked in the police service, told the conference audience: “Being arrested is horrible, but no feeling compares to seeing the look on your parents’ faces when they pick you up from the police station, especially when it’s the same station they have locked so many people up in.” During his speech, Mr Gauke announced that a financial crime unit is to be launched to stop drug dealers in prisons making money.