Jail visitor smuggled in drugs

KANE LEES

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A PRISON visitor tried to sneak drugs and phones into jail in a bag of crisps.

Kane Lees (27), of Longley Street, Shaw, was seen passing a packet to inmate Stephen Lees, as if he was offering him a snack, during visiting time at Forest Bank prison in Agecroft, Salford .

Stephen Lees, who shares a surname but is not related to Kane, put his hand in the packet and instead of taking out crisps helped himself to some shrink-wrapped contraband.

When he was searched later on, officers unwrapped the package and found four miniature phones, four miniature chargers, a sim card, 28g of hashish, and 8.5g of skunk cannabis, prosecutor Simone Flynn told a Manchester Crown Court sentencing hearing.

The drugs would have fetched inflated prices behind bars, fuelling 'gang culture, bullying, intimidation, violence and insecurity', Forest Bank's head of security told police. Meanwhile vulnerable prisoners could have been intimidated and forced to hold phones for organised crime gangs, the court heard. Stephen Lees (28), of HMP Manchester, was serving time for robbery at Forest Bank at the time of the July 2016 offence.

Mark Fireman, defending Kane Lees, said: "He was put upon to take these into prison because of a drug debt that was outstanding."

Jailing both men for a year, Recorder Paul O'Brien said: "These are serious offences. Offences of this nature cause untold problems within prisons and in the ordinary way deterrent sentences must follow."

Stephen Lees earlier admitted possessing a listed or prohibited article and possessing cannabis with intent to supply. Kane Lees pleaded guilty to conveying a listed or prohibited article and possession of cannabis with intent to supply.