Prison officer accepted bribe to smuggle food and tobacco

A former Corrections officer who had worked at Rimutaka Prison has pleaded guilty to accepting $3700 in return for smuggling food and tobacco into the prison. In the Hutt Valley District Court yesterday the man, 37, pleaded guilty to three charges of corruptly accepting a bribe, as an official, for bringing in contraband. Judge Michael Mika remanded the man on bail to be sentenced in July. His name was suppressed in the meantime. The charges dated from late 2020 when the man agreed with a prisoner to provide contraband in exchange for cash, according to a police summary. He was given the contact details of the prisoner’s partner and met her at service station north of Wellington where he was given $1200. The next day he passed two 50g packets of tobacco, cigarette papers and a lighter to the prisoner through his cell door flap. A few days later the man met the prisoner’s partner again and was given $1200 and an ice-cream container of food. The man left the container in an area of the prison where an inmate associate of the first prisoner could collect it and take it to him. Two days later the man passed the prisoner another 50g pack of tobacco. In December 2020 the man met the prisoner’s partner at an Upper Hutt park and was given $1300 and another container of food. The man left it in an area of the prison for the prisoner’s inmate associate to collect and take to him. Both times the inmate passed over the food when he was handing out laundry. The summary said the man admitted taking the food – and only food – into prison. He said he was offered money three times but didn’t take it.