The father of the getaway driver convicted in the murder of Ashley Dale has been caught attempting to smuggle painkillers into a maximum-security prison using a crisp packet. Thomas McMahon, 64, admitted to bringing prohibited painkillers into HMP Full Sutton in Yorkshire on June 22 last year during a visit to his son, Joseph Peers.
Incident Details
During the visit, prison staff observed McMahon moving his mouth before placing an item inside a crisp packet. Identical crisp packets were on the table and were rotated and moved around, arousing suspicion. CCTV footage captured the movement of McMahon's crisp packet. Upon inspection, staff discovered 14 white, oval-shaped tablets inside.
Prosecutor Julia Baggs told Hull Crown Court that custodial settings are notoriously rife with drugs, which serve as a high-value currency. However, she noted that this was not a large-scale operation.
McMahon's Defense
McMahon claimed his son was suffering from back and knee pain and that he was worried about him. The tablets were intended to help with this pain. While the prosecution did not accept this explanation, they did not challenge it. Baggs stated that the medication was prescribed for pain relief but is often abused and traded on the black market.
McMahon had 23 previous offences, most recently in September 2023 for drug-driving after returning from Amsterdam. His lawyer, Billy Torbett, argued that the drug-driving conviction stemmed from stress related to his son's murder trial. Torbett emphasized that McMahon had no prior convictions for drug possession or supply and that the painkillers had been prescribed to him for chronic pain but went unused.
Court Sentencing
Recorder Taryn Turner described the offending as serious, noting that drugs in prisons fuel violence, intimidation, and debt. McMahon was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended, and ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He remains banned from visiting his son at the prison, which has caused emotional distress.
Background on Joseph Peers
Joseph Peers was convicted of murdering Ashley Dale on August 21, 2022. The environmental health officer was shot in the abdomen with a Skorpion sub-machine gun at her home in Leinster Road, as part of a plot to kill her boyfriend, Lee Harrison. Peers, then 29, acted as the getaway driver for gunman James Witham.
On November 22, 2023, Peers was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 41 years for murder, conspiracy to murder, and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon with intent to endanger life. He will be 70 before eligible for release.
