Thomas McMahon, the father of a convicted murderer, was caught by prison officers attempting to pass a packet of painkillers to his son during a visit to a high-security jail. The 64-year-old admitted to bringing prohibited tablets into HMP Full Sutton in Yorkshire on June 22 last year.
Incident Details
McMahon was visiting his son, Joseph Peers, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of 28-year-old Ashley Dale. During the visit, staff noticed McMahon moving his mouth before placing an item inside a crisp packet. Identical packets on the table were rotated and moved around, arousing suspicion. CCTV footage confirmed the exchange.
Upon inspection, prison officers found 14 white, oval-shaped tablets inside the packet. Prosecutor Julia Baggs told Hull Crown Court that custodial settings are rife with drugs, which serve as a high-value currency. She emphasized that while this was not a large-scale operation, transporting prohibited items into prison is a serious offense.
Defense Explanation
McMahon claimed his son was suffering from back and knee pain, and the tablets were intended to help. The prosecution did not accept this explanation but chose not to challenge it. Baggs noted that the medication, though prescribed for pain relief, is often abused and traded on the black market.
McMahon has 23 previous convictions, most recently in September 2023 for drug-driving involving cannabis after a trip to Amsterdam. His defense lawyer, Billy Torbett, argued that the stress of his son's murder trial led to the Amsterdam trip and subsequent offense. McMahon, a father of four, had no prior drug possession or supply convictions.
Sentencing
Recorder Taryn Turner stated that drugs in prisons fuel violence, intimidation, and debt. McMahon was given a six-month suspended prison sentence, 120 hours of unpaid work, and 15 days of rehabilitation activity. He is now banned from visiting his son, causing him emotional distress.
Background on Joseph Peers
Peers was the getaway driver in the murder of Ashley Dale on August 21, 2022. The care worker was shot in the abdomen with a Skorpion submachine gun at her home in Leinster Road, Liverpool, as part of a plot to kill her boyfriend Lee Harrison. Peers, then 29, drove the gunman, James Witham, who fired a hail of bullets into Ashley's home as she fled through the back door. On November 22, 2023, Peers received a life sentence with a minimum term of 41 years for murder, conspiracy to murder, and weapons offenses. He will be 70 before eligible for release.
