Detective Sergeant Gareth Gent, South Yorkshire Police Prison Crime Anti-Corruption Unit, gives a statement outside Sheffield Crown Court today (October 27) following HMP Lindholme sentencings.

The Star, Sheffield

Transcript

00:00 I'm Detective Sergeant Gareth Jen from South Yorkshire Polices, a dedicated prison anti-corruption

00:16 unit. The handing of these 16 sentences today marks the end of an unprecedented investigation

00:22 into one of the most significant and complex prison conspiracies in the country. The work

00:28 that has gone into piecing together the activities of this criminal enterprise has been considerable.

00:34 Our investigation started in 2019 when, based on intelligence received, we began investigating

00:40 38-year-old prison nursing assistant Amy Hatfield. Over the following four years, we identified

00:46 an extensive group of 17 criminals who were involved in smuggling dangerous and illegal

00:51 drugs and articles into HMP Lindock for financial gain. Today I want to recognise the dedication

00:58 of the investigation team, in particular the officer in the case, Detective Constable Scott

01:03 Jarvis, who have worked relentlessly to gather evidence against those involved. In addition,

01:08 I would like to thank the specialists who have provided their knowledge and expertise

01:12 to the case over the last four years. This result could also not have been achieved without

01:17 the assistance from our partners at the Crown Prosecution Service and the Prison Service,

01:22 and we would like to thank them today. While I am pleased that today's sentencing sees

01:27 a number of this group behind bars, our work to tackle the smuggling of illegal items into

01:32 prison does not stop here. Prisons should be places of safety where inmates can get

01:38 help or support as they work towards rehabilitation. We know that sadly the circulation of drugs

01:45 and other illicit substances causes great misery and violence in our prisons. We continue

01:51 to work closely with the Prison Service to eliminate this kind of activity in prisons,

01:55 and we are steadfast in our commitment to identifying those who exploit that system.

02:01 We will ensure those who are responsible are met with a full, full...

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