A man who tried to smuggle cannabis, tobacco and a mobile phone into HMP Forest Bank has received an eight-month prison sentence. Security staff became suspicious because he arrived for a social visit wearing two pairs of trousers.
Manchester Crown Court heard that the 35-year-old went to the Salford prison on 24 September 2024. He went with an unnamed woman who was visiting a relative.
Ellie-Louise Fradley, prosecuting, said staff asked him to enter a search booth when he arrived. Asked whether he had anything on him that he should not have, he replied “no”. She told the court that staff were suspicious “due to the fact he was wearing two pairs of trousers”.
At one stage the man tried to leave, saying it was his daughter’s birthday. Officers said he could only leave once he had emptied his many pockets. At that point he pushed past staff and ran out barefoot, before returning to collect his shoes.
Staff recovered the hidden items. He had 20.8g of cannabis, worth about £500 inside the prison, and 25g of tobacco. He also had an iPhone said to be worth up to £1,500 in the jail.
After his arrest, he refused legal advice before interview. He then said he had expected arrest at the prison, and had brought the items in case he ended up in custody. The court heard the explanation described as ‘illogical’.
Louise Santamera, defending, told the court that her client no longer stood by his earlier explanation. “It may indicate the chaotic state of his mind at the time,” she said. She told the court he had a deeply entrenched ketamine addiction, which had left him with a debilitating condition. She also pointed to the delay in bringing the case to court.
The man pleaded guilty to conveying illicit articles into a prison and to possessing cannabis. Judge Alan Conrad KC told him: “Conveying such articles into prison is a serious matter.” The judge said deterrent sentences were necessary and that immediate custody had to follow. He imposed eight months’ imprisonment.
HMP Forest Bank is a reception prison for men in the North West. At a full inspection in March 2025, inspectors judged safety and purposeful activity not sufficiently good. They rated respect and preparation for release as reasonably good.
