Teenager tried to smuggle drugs into Peterborough jail in crisp packet

Charlie Bull, 19, was visiting an inmate at HMP Peterborough in July last year when he and the prisoner both started eating bags of crisps.

As the pair enjoyed their snacks, CCTV operators spotted Bull reaching into his waistband to produce a small package, which he quickly dropped into his crisp packet.

Bull and the inmate placed their packets back on the table simultaneously before attempting to swap.

Prison officers interrupted the exchange and took Bull’s crisp packet, containing the illicit package. It had 6.28 grams of cannabis inside, with a potential prison value of up to £600.

Bull, of Godfrey Close, Stevenage, refused to answer questions when interviewed, but later admitted a charge of conveying a prohibited item into a prison.

On Thursday (3 December) at Peterborough Crown Court, he was sentenced to four months in a youth offenders institute, suspended for 18 months.

Sergeant Fran Draper said: “This pair thought they had figured out a way to cheat the system, but thankfully they were wrong.

“We take these cases very seriously and we’ll continue to do everything in our power to bring those involved to justice.”