Three men sentenced to total of 19 years and former detective handed suspended sentence for smuggling drugs into prison near Rugby using drones

Peter King, aged 53, Kent George, aged 63, and Mervyn Foster, aged 46, were all sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on June 4, after all being charged with 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.

King pleaded guilty to all charges and Kent and Foster were found guilty of the same charges at a trial at Coventry Crown Court, which ended in September last year.

Former Staffordshire Police detective constable Clare Davenport, aged 52, also pleaded guilty to conspiring to acquire/use/possess criminal property at Coventry Crown Court in August last year. She was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday June 17.

The incidents took place throughout 2021 and 2022 when drones containing prohibited items were “flown-to-order” into HMP Onley near Rugby and HMP Gartree near Market Harborough.

A police investigation uncovered that these drones contained Class A and B drugs, spice, tobacco, mobile phones and other contraband. According to Northamptonshire Police, 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.

Lead investigator, Detective Sergeant Gareth Askew, said: “This was a sophisticated operation that sought to exploit technology to undermine the safety and stability of our prison system. These individuals showed a complete disregard for the law and the harm that drugs and other contraband cause within custodial environments.

“Through a detailed and determined investigation, we were able to identify those responsible and bring them before the courts.

“Let this case send a clear message to anyone thinking of engaging in similar behaviour - we will identify you, we will investigate you, and you will face serious consequences. No matter how sophisticated you believe your methods are, you are not beyond our reach.”

Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, Lord Timpson added: “Criminals who think they can exploit our prisons from the sky should be in no doubt – we will track you down and you will face the full force of the law. I thank our prison staff and policing partners for their work on this operation and bringing those responsible to justice.

“Smuggling drugs and weapons into jails doesn't just break the law, it undermines the rehabilitation of prisoners and puts lives at risk. That’s why we are backing our hard-working and diligent staff who help bring these criminals to justice with a £40 million security investment including new anti-drone measures to crack down on contraband entering our prisons.”

King was sentenced to six years and six months in prison, George was sentenced to five years and six months in prison and Foster was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison.

Davenport was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years and 150 hours of unpaid work.

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.