Man who escaped Cambridgeshire prison more than 20 years ago back behind bars after police find drugs factory

Barry Doughty escaped from a Littlehey prison, near Huntingdon in 1999, not long after he began a sentence for drug dealing offences.

He was arrested by Kent Police during a drugs warrant at a house in Maison Dieu Road, Dover, in 2019 and was found to be using another name.

Doughty, 57, was charged with and later admitted breaking prison and being concerned in the supply of class C drugs. He was sentenced to six years at Canterbury Crown Court on 25 January 2022.

The investigation followed intelligence received by Kent Police, suggesting the Dover property was being used to produce drugs.

Officers carried out a warrant on 6 July 2019 and Doughty was found in the back garden. He was arrested and gave his name as ‘Gary Monk’ when asked.

The property was searched and a large amount of materials were found which had been used in the production of the steroids testosterone, trenbolone, boldenone, drostanolone and mesthasterone.

More than 100 vials of the drugs were discovered and documents showed others like them had been sent to addresses in the UK, USA and Ireland.

Analysis of documents found at the property suggested the operation had been running since 2017 and had generated at least £80,000 for those involved.

Further enquiries led to the identification of others involved and George Higgins was arrested later the same month at his home in Worthington Street, Dover. A further 300 vials of drugs were found in bags at his property.

Samuel Winwright, who helped launder some of the money made from the sale of the drugs, was arrested at his home in Colorado Close, Dover in October 2019.

At the same sentencing hearing, Higgins was jailed for three years and Winwright was given an 18-month suspended sentence. Both had admitted being concerned in the supply of class C drugs at previous hearings.

Detective Sergeant Sam Minichiello, Kent Police’s investigating officer, said: ‘Doughty showed a complete disregard for the justice system by escaping from prison and committing these offences while illegally at large.

‘The kind of drugs he and his associates were producing are illegal for a reason: Because they are dangerous. By producing them at an unsuitable location and sending them off around the world he was putting others at danger.

‘I am pleased our investigation has seen him arrested, charged with these offences and sent back to prison.’