YouTube has declined to take down the account of Sam Walker, a prisoner at Forest Bank prison in Salford, who regularly posts videos filmed from his cell. The Ministry of Justice has twice requested the removal of the channel, but YouTube has refused, citing that the content does not violate its rules.
Walker, who has been making videos since 2018, uses his channel to abuse judges, complain about his sentence, and detail drug use in prisons. In a recent video, he claimed fellow inmates were “spiced up like zombies” and called security staff “spineless”. Another video shows him being escorted by a prison guard, during which he accuses judges of being paedophiles.
The Prison Service has stated that filming inside prisons is illegal and that anyone found with a mobile phone faces extra time behind bars. However, YouTube has only demonetised Walker's account, preventing him from earning money, but has not removed the videos.
A Ministry of Justice source admitted that the case highlights the ongoing problem of contraband phones in prisons. They noted that YouTube considers uploading videos not a criminal offence, and as a global platform, it is not bound by UK jurisdiction.
