Former Liverpool board chair sentenced for drug smuggling

A former chair of the independent monitoring board at HMP Liverpool has been sentenced for smuggling drugs and contraband into the prison after forming inappropriate relationships with three inmates. Helen Spree, 63, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and multiple counts of conspiracy to supply cannabis and convey prohibited items into the prison.

Spree held the voluntary position, which granted her unrestricted access and her own set of prison keys, from 2017 and was appointed chair in early 2021. Prosecutors told Liverpool Crown Court that between December 2019 and her arrest in August 2021, she developed inappropriate relationships with three prisoners: Dylan Westall, 35, serving a life sentence for manslaughter; Thomas Porterfield, 44, imprisoned for firearms offenses; and a third inmate who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The court heard that Spree communicated extensively with the men via phone calls, FaceTime, and messaging apps. These exchanges included explicit messages and images, social conversations, and the sharing of sensitive operational information. She provided details about prison searches, staff deployments, disciplinary matters, and police...