Lydia Pinnington, from Kirkby, has been jailed for five years and six months for her role in a nationwide prison contraband smuggling network that concealed drugs inside everyday items such as hot dog tins.
Pinnington had previously received a 14-month suspended sentence in 2023 for money laundering linked to a contraband and weapons conspiracy at HMP Lindholme, while her boyfriend, Kieran Murphy, was imprisoned.
Immediate re-offending
Instead of taking advantage of her freedom, Pinnington collaborated with Murphy via illicit mobile phones to launch a nationwide contraband smuggling network across multiple prisons.
The couple recruited fellow inmate Brandon Horne and his mother, Michelle Midgley, who handled logistics and hundreds of thousands of pounds in transactions on the outside.
How the smuggling operation worked
The gang tracked prisoner transfers to forge and dispatch fake inmate property bags containing contraband, ensuring their packages arrived ahead of the genuine belongings.
Drugs including ketamine, cannabis, and spice were hidden inside mundane items such as hot dog tins, mouthwash bottles, and boxes of washing powder.
Arrest and sentencing
Following her arrest while visiting Murphy at HMP Garth in April 2024, Pinnington pleaded guilty alongside her co-conspirators and was sentenced to five years and six months behind bars.
