Four people including former police detective to be sentenced for smuggling thousands of pounds worth of drugs into Northamptonshire prison
Four people, including a former Staffordshire police detective, are due to be sentenced for smuggling thousands of pounds worth of drugs into prisons, including one in Northamptonshire, using drones.
Former Staffordshire Police detective constable Clare Davenport, aged 50, Peter King, aged 53, Kent George, aged 63 and Mervyn Foster, aged 46, are all due to be sentenced next month after they either pleaded guilty or were found guilty of offences linked to using drones to smuggle prohibited items into prisons.
The incidents took place throughout 2021 and 2022 when drones containing prohibited items were “flown-to-order” into HMP Onley in Northamptonshire and HMP Gartree in Leicestershire, according to Northamptonshire Police.
The packages inside these drones contained Class A and B drugs, spice, tobacco, mobile phones and other contraband.
One package, recovered by a prison officer patrolling the grounds in August 2021, contained heroin with a prison value of £22,400 and cannabis with a prison value of £15,300.
At hearing at Coventry Crown Court in August, King pleaded guilty to conspiring to bring/throw/convey a List A prohibited article into/out of a prison, conspiring to bring/throw/convey a List B prohibited article into/out of a prison, and conspiring to acquire/use/possess criminal property.
Kent and Foster were found guilty of the same offences following a trial which ended at Coventry Crown Court on Monday September 29.
Davenport pleaded guilty at Coventry Crown Court in August to conspiring to acquire/use/possess criminal property.
Detective Inspector Carrie Powers from Northamptonshire Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Team said: “This was a very complex investigation involving a number of agencies and I am really pleased that not only did we stop these drone drops from happening, but that the people responsible have been brought to justice.”
A gross misconduct hearing held by Staffordshire Police on August 3, 2023, concluded that Davenport would have been dismissed if she had not already retired.
All four offenders are due to be sentenced at Coventry Crown Court on November 17.