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Leeds Live
Leeds Live
National
Stephanie Finnegan

Inmate caught with mobile phone after barricading himself in Leeds prison cell

An inmate was caught with a mobile phone in Leeds prison after barricading himself inside his cell during a protest.

Zachariah Morris was serving a 32-month prison sentence when the phone was found in his cell on February 23 this year.

Leeds Crown Court heard a senior officer went to the defendant's cell on C wing at 4.30pm after a report of him making threats to barricade himself into his cell because he was receiving threats from other prisoners.

Prosecutor Robert Galley said officers negotiated with Morris before gaining entry to the cell.

Morris was then told to pack his belongings as he was being moved to another wing.

The 23-year-old was searched and the mobile phone and an improvised smoking pipe were found in his sock.

Morris, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to possessing a mobile phone in prison.

He has previous convictions for violence, making threats with a knife and failing to comply with community orders.

Mr Galley read a statement to the court on behalf of the prison governor, outlining the negative impacts of contraband mobile phones in jail.

He described how they led to vulnerable inmates being targeted by other prisoners.

Robin Freize, mitigating, said Morris and his cellmate had been protesting over threats they had received from other prisoners on the wing.

Mr Freize said some of the threats involved him being forced to look after the mobile in his cell.

He said: "It did not belong to him. There was a download of the phone and there was nothing to suggest that he was using it for any particular purpose."

Morris was due to be released from custody in April next year.

Judge Geoffrey Marson QC sentenced Morris to eight months' imprisonment to run consecutively to the sentence that he is already serving.

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