Two Forest Bank Prison workers have been jailed after stealing over £100,000 worth of electronics from the prison.
Carl Byron aged 37 of Manchester Road, Over Hulton, who was previously security manager at HMP Forest Bank, was sentenced to thirty four months in prison after pleading guilty to theft and money laundering.
Anthony Bradbury aged 31 of Haslam Street, Bury, who was formally a Security Analyst at HMP Forest Bank, has been jailed for two years and two months after pleading guilty to theft and money laundering.
The court heard how Byron and Bradbury had been stealing CDs, DVDs and games along with gaming accessories that had been brought into the prison as part of a legitimate prison industries contract.
The items were delivered to the prison and prisoners were required to repackage them and put them into order to be sent to their final destination.
Byron and Bradbury were required to conduct searches of the deliveries and during this time they would steal up to 100 items at a time by putting them into holdalls and walking out of the prison with them.
The pair were never searched as they were responsible for conducting searches on prison workers themselves, so they could walk out of the prison unquestioned.
They would then sell the items on eBay.
It is believed that the duo conducted their illegal enterprise for over two years earning themselves over £100,000.
Detective Sergeant Jonny McGirr from GMP’s Salford borough said: “Byron and Bradbury used their positions at Forest Bank Prison to go unnoticed as they stole thousands of pounds worth of items.
“They betrayed the trust that the prison had placed upon them and were brazen thieves who lined their pockets through deceit.
“Byron in particular painted a picture of himself as someone to be trusted and Bradbury looked up to him, and would do whatever he was told.
“They will now spend the next two years in prison where they will experience first-hand what it is like to be on the other side of the bars.”
