HMP Lindholme: Tears in court as 85 years of prison time handed out for biggest ever prison drugs conspiracy

A prison health worker has been sentenced to over a decade in prison after being caught smuggling two litres of liquid spice, two ounces of MDMA, and an ounce of ketamine into HMP Lindholme.

Prison mental health nursing assistant Amy Hatfield, her inmate lover Joseph Whittingham, and 15 other co-conspirators smuggled over £1 million worth of drugs, knives, and mobile phones into the Doncaster prison.

Along with fellow prisoners and family members, including Whittingham’s wife, they “flooded” the prison with drugs and laundered the profits.

Convicted murderer Anthony Campbell and his mother Deborah Stoddard were found to have been active in supplying spice and phones, as early as 2017, to three prisons where he was an inmate.

Her honour Judge Kirstie Watson told Campbell, who appeared over video link at Sheffield Crown Court today (October 27): “It is clear that the movement from one establishment to another did nothing to desist you.

“You couldn't have complained if the prosecution had charged you with three different conspiracies.”

A video found on Stoddard’s phone showed Campbell and another inmate holding leashes around the necks of two other inmates, who had taken two doses of spice in a short time and were “being encouraged to fight like dogs”.

Stoddard had ordered two carbon fibre knives online, instructed by inmate and co-conspirator Kieran Murphy, which accounted for three years of her nine year and six month prison sentence.

The knives were found in the packages Amy Hatfield was bringing into the prison when she was stopped, searched and arrested on her way into work on October 19, 2019.

Judge Watson said: “You weren’t a naïve child at the time of the relationship. You didn’t know the packages contained knives, but I say that is a risk you took.

“As a result of your work you attended daily meetings where the impact of drugs were discussed … it must have been clear to you the impact the increased drug use was having on the prison, but you continued to flood the prison with drugs,” Judge Watson told Hatfield.

The court heard how there were seven spice-related deaths at HMP Lindholme in 2018 and 2019, but none in the eight months following Hatfield's arrest.

She would have the drugs delivered to her home before passing on packages to Whittingham and other prisoners Jordan Needham, Murphy and Campbell to sell behind bars.

Needham, who initially pleaded not guilty to “try to improve the case” for girlfriend Courtney Ward, was addicted to drugs and serving a “lengthy” sentence for supplying them when he recruited Ward and his mother to the conspiracy.

During the 19-week trial, the court heard Needham had instructed fellow prisoner Gary Henley to try a new batch of spice. Henley collapsed in his cell and hit his head, which led to a 10-day coma, and him permanently losing use of his legs and his sight in one eye.

Needham's mother, Audrey Needham, had £88,000 laundered through her account between 2018 and 2019. In the four years since, the court heard she has been free from drugs, working hard, and caring for her grandchild.

Ward, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply drugs including MDMA, heroin, cannabis and spice, was described by Judge Watson as “instrumental in arranging and facilitating” visitors to smuggle drugs into the prison.

Judge Watson told her: “Your relationship began when you were only 18 or 19 … as is so often the case, you couldn’t get away from an abusive relationship with Jordan Needham even when he was in prison.”

Ward became emotional in the dock as Judge Watson mentioned how her five-year-old child, who has only known her as his parent, will now be without her for a time, before sentencing her to four years and six months in prison.

Lee Holmes, in the dock at the same time, turned to Ward to ask if she was alright. After being sentenced to two years and three months for conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison and money laundering, Holmes shouted “I love you” to a woman in the public gallery.

Three defendants - Lydia Pinnington, Lucy Whittingham, and Paul Whittingham (Joseph Whittingham’s wife and dad), who were found guilty of only money laundering and not for drug supply or conspiracy, were all given sentences suspended for two years.

After Judge Watson gave Lucy Whittingham, the final defendant to be sentenced, a two year suspended prison term, she told her: “I’m giving you a chance. Do not come back.”

The full list of charges and today’s sentences are detailed below.

• Amy Hatfield, 38, of HMP Newhall, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey phones into prison, conveying knives into prison and money laundering. She has been sentenced to a total of ten years and two months in prison.

• Kieran Murphy, 26, of HMP Altercourse, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He was also found guilty by jury after a four-day trial at Sheffield Crown Court in June 2023 of conspiring to convey knives into prison. He has today been sentenced to a total of seven years and nine months in prison.

• Joseph Whittingham, 35, of HMP Leeds, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey a knife into prison and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has today been sentenced to a total of eleven years and four months in prison.

• Jordan Needham, 31, of HMP Dovegate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has today been sentenced to a total of nine years and six months in prison.

• Anthony Campbell, 38, of HMP Dovegate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has today been sentenced to a total of eleven years in prison.

• Courtney Ward, 26, of Harvey Close, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs. She has today been sentenced to a total of four years and six months in prison.

• Audrey Needham, 56, of Comfrey Close, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and money laundering. She has today been sentenced to a total of four years and three months in prison.

• Deborah Stoddard, 56, of Shorefields Village, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey knives into prison, conspiracy to convey phones into prison, and money laundering. She has today been sentenced to a total of nine years and six months in prison.

• Leighton Kemp, 29, of Erewash Gardens, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, conspiracy to convey phones into prison, and money laundering. He has today been sentenced to a total of five years in prison.

• Kora Haley, 30, of Holme Lane, Bradford, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey phones into prison and money laundering. She has today been sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

• Aneeze Williamson, 30, of HMP Leeds, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. He has today been sentenced to five years and five months in prison.

• Natalie Williamson, 35, of West Royd Drive, Shipley, pleaded guilty to money laundering and being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs. She has today been  sentenced to 12 months in prison.

• Lee Holmes, 44, of Sylvia Terrace, Stanley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison and money laundering. He has today sentenced to a total of two years and three months in prison.

• Lucy Whittingham, 37, from Bradford, pleaded guilty to money laundering. She has today been handed a two year sentence, suspended for two years, and a community order of 15 days with her supervision officer and 100 hours of community service.

• Paul Whittingham, 59, of Halifax Road, Bradford, was found guilty of money laundering at trial. However, Whittingham was found not guilty of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to convey drugs into prison, and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. Today, he was handed a twenty month sentence suspended for two years, and 200 hours of community service in relation to the money laundering offence.

• Lydia Pinnington, 23, of Clieves Road, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to charge of money laundering. She appeared alongside Paul Whittingham on trial charged with conspiracy to convey drugs into prison and conspiracy to convey phones into prison. She was found not guilty of these offences. Today, she was handed a fourteen month sentence, suspended for two years, and 200 hours of community service in relation to the money laundering offence.

A seventeenth defendant, William Francis, 56, of Hogan Gardens, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (heroin), two counts of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs, and conspiracy to convey drugs into prison.

He is due to be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on December 15.