Doncaster man jailed after throwing drugs and phones over prison wall

David Quinn, of Florence Avenue, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to convey illicit articles into HMP Doncaster Prison when he appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday, 23 June. He was also ordered to pay a victims surcharge of £181.

Shortly before 3pm on Sunday, 20 October 2019 officers spotted Quinn in the undergrowth approaching the prison’s perimeter during a covert operation targeting packages of ‘illicit articles’ being thrown over the walls.

He tried to run away when he was approached by detective constable Scott Jarvis. Quinn ran along the canal path in the direction of Sprotbrough during the ‘short pursuit’ before he was caught and arrested by DC Jarvis.

Following his arrest, packages bound for the prison were recovered from him. They were found to contain tobacco, syringes, needles, a mobile phone, 164 tablets, liquid testosterone, cannabis and a memory stick.While remanded in prison, further enquiries into incidents of drugs being thrown over the prison walls were investigated and linked to Quinn, leading to further charges. The packages thrown over the walls included ‘spice’, cannabis, tobacco, mobile phones and knives.

DC Scott Jarvis from the prison crime unit said: “A good proportion of inmates will take the opportunity to engage with the fantastic drugs and rehabilitation services offered to them within the prison establishment. This is severely hampered when individuals such as Quinn assist in flooding the jail with drugs and destabilising the prisons regime. “There is no good reason I can see to supply blades and knives into a prison other than to cause serious harm or even death to other inmates or staff.”

DC Jarvis said police will continue to work with the prison to drive down smuggling – and said their focus will extend to inmates, visitors and staff members.

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John Hewitson Serco’s prison director at HMP Doncaster, added: “Drugs are a menace that cause real misery in prison and we are constantly working to stop them getting in using technology, dogs and intelligence in the fight.”