A prison officer from Burton who smuggled drugs into a Staffordshire prison by concealing them in his shirt and trousers, has been jailed.
Adrian Kedzierski, 50, was paid £1,000 a time for getting the Class B drugs and mobile phones into HMP Dovegate in Marchington.
Now the father-of-three has started a prison sentence of three years after appearing at Stafford Crown Court on Wednesday, March 21.
Kedzierski, who had worked as a prison officer for nine years, had pleaded guilty to taking a controlled drug into the prison between October, 2016, and February last year.
He had also admitted a charge of misconduct in public office by taking prohibited items into the prison.
Kedzierski, of Craven Street, Burton, had worked in the therapeutic community in the prison and gave support to people tackling drink and drug addictions.
Passing sentence Judge Michael Chambers said that Kedzierski's role in the prison was an aggravating feature in the case, telling him he was involved in a "gross breach of trust" and had taken a significant quantity of drugs into the prison for financial gain.
He said: "It helped maintain a criminal community in the prison and supported a power structure within the prison environment. The drugs had a value far beyond the normal street value and the effect is corrosive."
At the time of the offences the use of drugs was prevalent in HMP Dovegate - which houses 1,100 Category B and C inmates - and a huge problem to the safety of the prison which the defendant would have known, the court heard.
Judge Chambers said this was echoed by a HM Prison inspection in June last year which revealed drugs were "readily available" at Dovegate and half the prisoners said drugs were "easy to obtain" and the problem was far higher than at many other similar prisons.
The court heard that Kedzierski had taken drugs and phones into the prison on six occasions and the type of drug was believed to be Mamba, a Class B drug, and the quantities were unknown.
Miss Fiona Cortese, prosecuting, said matters came to light in March last year when a note was found claiming Kedzierski was smuggling in drugs.
At a meeting he admitted what was happening and claimed to have been threatened in September, 2016, in the street when he was told his "throat would be slashed and his home burned down".
Miss Cortese said: "On four occasions parcels were delivered to his home, which he signed for, and which he believed contained drugs.
"He received £1,000 on each occasion he received a parcel and the money was inside the package.
"In December 2016 he drove to Warrington with a post code and met three people who handed over a cone-shaped parcel and phones which he took into the prison the next day."
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In February last year there was another trip to Cheshire and items were taken into the prison concealed in his trousers and in a bag. The money was said to have been spent on day-to-day living but there was evidence of the purchase of a car and a family holiday.
A confiscation application under the Proceeds of Crime Act has been adjourned until May 29.
Darron Whitehead, for Kedzierski, said there was no evidence against his client when matters came to light but he told an internal prison inquiry what he had done and made full admissions to police.
He said: "He has struggled to explain why he did it but accepts he acted "like an idiot" and stupidly ignored the opportunity to seek help and allowed it to happen."
Mr Whitehead said Kedzierski accepted it was a serious breach of trust and had let down his family, his colleagues and the inmates he was trying to assist.
Serci operates the prison. John Hewitson, Serco contract director for HMP Dovegate, said: "We expect the highest standards of behaviour from prison officers and we will not tolerate the conveying of contraband into the prison. We will not hesitate to inform the police if we suspect any such activity, and if appropriate we will seek prosecution of any individuals involved."
