Drone f lies ‘weapons and escape kit’ into jail
AN AUDACIOUS jail breakout has been foiled after an ‘escape kit’ including hacksaw blades and screwdrivers flown in by a drone was spotted by prison officers.
A bundle dropped on top of a roof inside HMP Hewell in Worcestershire also contained cannabis, mobile phones, chargers, superglue and razor blades.
The prison’s governor alerted local police and ordered extensive searches of prisoners’ cells. Extra guards from nearby jails were brought in to beef up security.
West Mercia police are also conducting more patrols to put off drone smugglers.
A source said: ‘This has caused a huge security issue. One theory is that a prison officer was to be taken hostage. The attempt to bring hacksaw blades and screwdrivers into the prison suggests an escape attempt.
‘There is no other reason to smuggle in these items. The screwdrivers are fearsome weapons.’
In the past 21 months, at least 29 remote-controlled miniature aircraft have crashed in prison grounds. But prison chiefs believe that for every drone that fails, as many as nine others get through.
Glyn Travis, assistant secretary of the Prison Officers Association, said: ‘It is frightening to think that these items could have got into the prison system. This sort of incident highlights the threats and challenges facing prison officers on a daily basis.
‘Because of cuts and a reduction in staff numbers, it is getting harder to stop contraband being smuggled inside jails.’
Hewell prison houses category B and C inmates. It has room for 1,261 prisoners.
Earlier this year, the first person in the UK was jailed for using a drone to fly contraband into prisons.
Daniel Kelly, 27, was jailed for 14 months at Maidstone Crown Court in Kent in July after admitting conspiracy to project an article into prison.
Kent police said he had used the remote-control drone to smuggle items, including tobacco and the psychoactive drug Spice, into two prisons in Kent and one in Hertfordshire in April this year.
Kelly, formerly of Lewisham, SouthEast London, was caught after a police patrol spotted a car parked near HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent on April 25.
A Prison Service spokesman confirmed hacksaw blades had been among the contraband found at HMP Hewell a fortnight ago.
He said: ‘We have introduced new legislation which means anyone found using drones to smuggle contraband into a prison can be given a sentence of up to two years.
‘We take a zero-tolerance approach to illicit material in prisons and work closely with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure those caught are prosecuted.’