A man convicted over a shotgun shooting that left an innocent victim with a calf muscle surgically removed had an "inappropriate relationship" with the chair of Walton prison's watchdog while behind bars. John Hughes was one of three serving prisoners who engaged in illicit relationships with Helen Spree, who operated a drug smuggling "Deliveroo for prisoners" and exchanged sexualised messages with inmates.
Hughes and John Jones were convicted last week over a shooting which saw Leejay Heavey, who was said to have been "in the wrong place at the wrong time", "asked if he was Dusty" before he was shot on Radway Road in Huyton. The shooting, carried out by the rider and pillion passenger of a Sur-Ron e-bike, was said to have come as part of a "plan to intimidate" Jordan Thompson, also known as Dusty. Mr Heavey had one of his calf muscles surgically removed as his assailants hurriedly ditched the firearm in a pub car park, having been chased from the scene by police.
Spree's role and relationships
Liverpool Crown Court previously heard that Spree joined Walton prison's independent monitoring board in April 2017 before being appointed as chairman in January 2021. This role gave the 63-year-old, of Holly Bank Avenue in Roby, "statutory powers to go anywhere in the establishment unaccompanied", as well as allowing her to speak to prisoners and have her own set of keys.
Andrew Scott, appearing for the crown, described how Spree "formed inappropriate relationships with three prisoners" at HMP Liverpool between December 2019 and her arrest in August 2021. This saw her call, FaceTime and exchange texts, iMessages and WhatsApp messages with these co-defendants, with the prosecution counsel saying: "That particular contact falls into five broad categories."
"Social messages about what was going on in the lives of the prisoners and Helen Spree, sexually explicit messages, messages in which Helen Spree provides prisoners with details of searches, prisoner officer deployment, adjudications, when matters were being referred to the police and when police searches and arrests were to take place. She also suggested that she would try to assist in having adjudications thrown out."
Spree's messages with the prisoners were also said to have included "criticisms of those involved with the criminal justice system, particular police and prison staff" and "requests to bring in mobile phones and associated items, Rizla papers and cannabis". The mum-of-two meanwhile "intervened to prevent Dylan Westall from being transferred from HMP Liverpool" and personally smuggled contraband into prison.
Corruption reports and contraband
Spree, who has no previous convictions, was said to have been the subject of a total of 78 corruption intelligence reports submitted to HM Prison and Probation Service between February 2020 and July 2021, with concerns having "suggested that she was overfamiliar or in inappropriate relationships with certain individual prisoners". This led to an iPhone being recovered from the third inmate's cell on June 2 2021, with her number found saved under the name "H2O".
Spree was arrested upon her arrival at the prison on the morning of August 26 2021, and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit seized items including two "custom-made pillows with Westall's face embossed on the front" from Spree's home address, as well as thank you cards from him. Her phone revealed "key evidence" detailing "arrangements between Helen Spree, the prisoners and Michael Westall to convey drugs, mobile telephones and other prohibited articles into HMP Liverpool over a period of approximate 20 months".
The first of her three illicit relationships concerned Thomas Porterfield, who was serving 13 years for conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, with the two found to have had phone contact between December 5 2019 and June 25 2020. This included "sexually explicit chat and the exchange of sexually explicit images and videos" and her smuggling cannabis resin, an iPhone charger and SIM cards, tobacco, cigarette papers and a lighter into the jail on his behalf.
Spree's relationship with Westall was shown in messages between March 5 and September 5 2020, during which time the two similarly "exchanged videos, images and chat of a sexually explicit nature". This also saw the prisoner "introduce her to his younger brother", leading to them meeting at an arranged location in the L14 area for the purpose of goods being handed over before further cannabis, an iPhone, headphones, chargers, tobacco and cigarette papers were taken into the prison.
While Dylan Westall was then transferred to another prison in October 2020, Spree remained in contact with Michael Westall, who began instead handing her similar contraband on behalf of the third prisoner, now identified as Hughes. Their relationship spanned March 26 2021 until her arrest in the summer of that year, with the two again "engaging in chat of a sexually explicit nature" and "confessing their love for each other".
Sentencing and impact
Spree admitted misconduct in a public office, six counts of conspiracy to convey prohibited articles into a prison and three charges of conspiracy to supply cannabis following a probe by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit. She received a total of five years and three months in June this year.
Dylan Westall was handed an additional year in jail, with 28-year-old Michael Westall, of Field Lane in Fazakerley, given a 20-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months. Porterfield, aged 44 and of Greenwich Avenue in Widnes, was handed 22 months suspended for 18 months. Hughes received two years and 10 months after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to convey a prohibited article into a prison.
Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: "These were not isolated acts of misconduct. They occurred frequently and over an extended period of time. Such was the extent of her activities, she became known as the prisoner's version of Deliveroo."
"These were deliberate offences that required a high level of planning and sophistication in order to smuggle prohibited items into a prison. While I accept that Helen Spree was, to an extent, manipulated by her co-defendants, she was well aware of the risks involved in forming inappropriate relationships and was not coerced in any way to act as she did."
"It is hard to imagine a greater betrayal of the public's trust in an individual than is demonstrated in your misconduct in a role which carried with it the utmost responsibility. It must be marked by a substantial period of imprisonment."
Both Hughes and Jones were due to be sentenced over the shooting on Thursday this week, although this will now take place next month instead.
