Prison officer jailed over items hidden in her bra after inmates made 'threats'

A prison officer has been jailed after hiding contraband in her bra and smuggling it into the prisonshe worked at. Barbara Peters was paid thousands of pounds by "serious criminals" to sneak items into HMP Altcourse more than a dozen times.

The 57-year-old was also said to have been threatened and blackmailed by inmates before being caught in a covert surveillance operation. A judge told the widowed grandmother it was "with some sorrow and regret" that he had to jail her, due to the "seriousness and extent" of her crimes. Liverpool Crown Court heard Peters began working at Altcourse in December 2022. On April 30, 2023, police surveillance spotted her meeting a woman linked to an inmate in a Long Lane car park in Aintree.

The woman was seen handing a package to Peters, who was arrested at her new workplace, the Countess of Chester Hospital, on June 6. A handwritten note found in her car offered her £2,500 for a holiday in return for "three bars of polly" (cannabis resin) and promised "max profit for min risk".

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Under interview, Peters gave a full account, saying she had begun by giving a prisoner a vape in exchange for a haircut in March 2023, reports the Liverpool Echo. She said she felt "unfairly" treated after being reported for this, blaming "bullying" and "cliques" among staff. She said she later smuggled a phone charger in her bra for another inmate, who said he was desperate to speak to his children.

She also said she sneaked in cigarette papers for a prisoner, after giving him her phone number. Her number was then apparently shared with two others. Peters alleged one prisoner asked her to smuggle tobacco into the jail and "pestered her for several weeks before she finally relented and agreed", stating she had initially threatened to report him internally but never did so as he "told her she would be executed".

The prisoner was said to have arranged the subsequent handover with his contact, Peters being given the contraband and £1,000 in £20 notes by a woman who she believed was a relative of the inmate. The tobacco was then taken into HMP Altcourse the following day, the officer having "walked around the prison for several hours with it concealed in her bra" before she handed it to the prisoner.

Peters said she later smuggled in vodka disguised in Evian bottles, passed to her by a contact in Crosby. She was paid £500 each time, and estimated she received £5,000 in total. She also admitted meeting a man known as "Scraggy" at a car park on Rice Lane, where she was handed phones and tobacco in exchange for up to £2,000. None of the prisoners she named were charged with any offences in relation to the smuggling matters, having made no comment when they were questioned by detectives.

Michael Lavery, defending, told the court: "She is a 57-year-old woman with an exemplary record behind her. She was a pathology technician for 30 years, a job with some public service. She was not aware of the grooming techniques which were applied upon her. The first breach that she committed was for a charging cable for a person who was effectively grooming her, saying that he was losing contact with his children.

"Once that Rubicon is crossed, it is not hard for your honour to understand that the wing gets to know that they have somebody on the inside. Threats were directed to her. The threats were very serious."

Mr Lavery said his client's car was also set on fire outside the prison during her first shift, in a matter which was unrelated to those who she was smuggling contraband on behalf of, but added: "A friend of hers in her cohort, a 45-year-old female with a family, took her own life in 2023 because of the pressures she faced, owing to being preyed upon. At the time, her partner was dying.

"Her husband passed away in 2023. He was dealing with renal cancer. He drank himself to death because of his impending passing. She was dealing with the suicide of her friend, the pressure of serious criminals and the death of her partner. They were ringing her at 10 at night, on occasions, demanding, rather than asking, for contraband to be brought into prison.

"I also prey in aid the delay in this case. Her conduct during the course of that delay has been exemplary. From the moment that she was arrested at the Countess of Chester Hospital, she has sought to work. She moved away from Liverpool to put this sorry chapter behind her. She has been offered permanent employment in Scotland.

"She has her daughter here today. She has grandchildren. They were subjected to threats by the prisoners that she was assisting. She has effectively moved on from what was going on then. She was entirely unsuitable for a role like this."

Peters, who has no previous convictions, admitted one count of conspiracy to convey a prohibited list B article into a prison. Appearing in the dock wearing a pink t-shirt and glasses, she nodded as she was jailed for 10 months.

Sentencing, Judge David Swinnerton said: "On the one hand, I have sympathy for you as somebody who perhaps found yourself out of your depth with the people that you were dealing with. On the other hand, you knew full well that you should not have been smuggling into prison. It does not take a genius to realise that. You did it 15 times, and you were paid a total of £9,000 to do it.

"You do not have to have much training to know that you do not bring these items into prison. Because of that, and because you have done it 15 times, I take the view, with some sorrow and regret, that it has to be immediate custody. You will not serve very long. In your case, the punishment and message is that you are going to prison at all."

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