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Nurse's Love Affair Fuels Prison Smuggling Ring
20 Nov
Summary
- A prison nurse smuggled up to £1 million in contraband.
- She was wooed by a convicted inmate who recruited her.
- Illicit items included drugs, phones, and weapons.
A shocking smuggling ring, described as the UK's largest and most complex, was facilitated by a prison nurse who became infatuated with an inmate. Amy Hatfield, a mental health support worker at HMP Lindholme, was recruited by Joseph Whittingham, a convicted criminal she met in 2018.
Over the course of approximately one year, Hatfield smuggled illicit items such as MDMA, cannabis, steroids, mobile phones, and knives into the prison. She would hand these over during phony mental health appointments. The operation is estimated to be worth up to £1 million, with contraband including drugs and weapons recovered.
Hatfield received a sentence of 10 years and two months, with the judge noting Whittingham exploited her infatuation. Whittingham himself was jailed for over 11 years and has since died in custody. The nurse's actions reportedly led to a spike in drug use at the prison.
