Murderer Mitchell Ingham Used Contraband iPhone to Contact Prison Officer at HMP Deerbolt
A convicted murderer serving a life sentence has been handed an additional nine-month prison term after being caught using an illicit iPhone to communicate with a prison officer and family members while incarcerated at HMP Deerbolt in County Durham.
Illicit Communications and FaceTime Calls
Mitchell Ingham, 25, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2016 for murder with a minimum term of 14 years, utilised the smuggled device to send messages and conduct FaceTime calls from within the prison walls. The court heard that Ingham engaged in multiple communications with prison officer Ellis Eyles, 24, from Darlington, including one FaceTime call lasting 37 minutes on June 10, 2023.
Prosecutor Antonia Adie revealed that Ingham referred to the officer as "babe" in one message, while Eyles responded with a "miss you" message accompanied by kisses. The illicit communications were discovered when prison authorities conducted a search of a cell at HMP Deerbolt in June 2023, finding an iPhone and charger concealed behind a false panel in a cabinet.
Discovery and Investigation
The hidden device was quickly linked to Ingham through messages and photographs found on the phone. Examination revealed that Ingham had signed off one message as 'Mitch' and had even searched for himself online using the contraband device. The investigation also uncovered that Ingham had used the phone to communicate with his mother and other individuals outside the prison.
Perhaps most disturbingly, the court heard that Ingham had enquired about the location of another inmate, telling Eyles he wanted to see the prisoner "done in." The prison officer informed him that the individual was in the segregation unit at the time.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Ingham appeared at Durham Crown Court on Tuesday, where he admitted guilt to charges of possessing and using a mobile phone in prison. Defence lawyer Jillian Newton stated that Ingham's best mitigation was his early guilty plea and that he had expressed remorse for his actions, noting this was his first offence while behind bars.
Judge Nathan Adams sentenced Ingham to nine months imprisonment, to run consecutively with his existing life sentence. The court was informed that Ingham is not eligible for parole until 2028 and has spent his time in prison undertaking several educational courses.
Background and Previous Convictions
Ingham was originally convicted in 2016 for the murder of Dominic Doyle in the Manchester area when he was just 15 years old. Reports from his original sentencing hearing described him as showing "no remorse and swaggered into the dock smiling." He is currently serving his sentence at HMP Lindholme in South Yorkshire.
Prison officer Ellis Eyles, who was involved in the illicit communications, is due to be sentenced next month for her role in the offences. The court was also told that the smuggled iPhone may have been accessed by other inmates besides Ingham, raising further concerns about prison security protocols.
