A prison officer has been jailed for running a smuggling ring to supply drugs and mobile phones to convicts.
Mark Murphy was sentenced to 18 months behind bars after he pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of the class A hard drug cocaine and class B cannabis.
He also pled guilty to introducing personal communication devices, namely a quantity of mobile phones and adapters, into privately run Addiewell Prison over a period of seven months.
Livingston Sheriff Court heard his offending behaviour began in April 2021 and continued until 15 October, the same year when he was snared by the authorities. Livingston Sheriff Court was told that Murphy – from Harthill – was initially bribed with a £500 cash payment to make his
first delivery of contraband into the West Lothian prison.
But after that he and his family were threatened with violence if he did not continue to supply the prisoners with drugs and mobile phones.
The ringleaders told him that they knew where his partner lived and the type and registration number of her car and warned him that she would be targeted by associates on the outside if he failed to obey.
Following the threats the 29-year-old received no further money but was coerced into continuing until he was finally caught.
Sheriff Jane Farquharson said the sentence would have been 27 months but, given the early stage at which he tendered his guilty plea, she reduced that to 18 months.
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