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Prison officers to sue over smuggling claims
Justin Davenport, Evening Standard11 Jul 2008
A dozen prison officers at a London jail are to sue for thousands of pounds in compensation after being cleared of corruption allegations.
The 12 were part of a group of officers known as the Pentonville 14 who were suspended in August 2006 over allegations of drugs smuggling to inmates.
A damning internal report, seen by the Evening Standard, has now accused the jail's then governor, Gary Deighton, of "incompetent and negligent" supervision of the inquiry.
The report questions whether the investigation should have been launched in the first place.
Twelve of the 14 officers have been cleared of wrongdoing while one has been dismissed from the Prison Service and a second demoted. The officers were accused of involvement in trafficking mobile phones and cannabis and of "inappropriate relationships" with inmates.
The internal report concludes that the action adopted by Mr Deighton was "ill conceived" and "badly managed".
The study by Brian Payling, formerly West Midlands area manager for the Prison Service, says the officers deserve compensation and a formal apology. It concludes:
• When the officers were suspended they were unnecessarily humiliated by being stripped of epaulettes in view of other staff.
•Eight of the suspended officers were from ethnic minorities but no effort was made to allay their concerns that the action was racist.
• A lack of managerial oversight led to lengthy and unnecessary delays in the investigation.
The report was also critical of the failure by management to acknowledge the receipt of the investigators' reports and their findings.
Mr Payling states: "Whatever the quality of the investigations, one significant common factor emerged... there was no substantive evidence to link any of the suspended officers to any specific act of trafficking or improper relationship with prisoners."
Commenting on Mr Deighton's role, the report states: "Decisions were generally ill-judged. The governor provided inadequate guidance and support for others involved in the management of the case and he showed no real concern for the welfare of the suspended officers."
Mr Payling, who came out of retirement to conduct the investigation, adds: "The governor initiated this train of events with good intentions and in the light of undeniable problems, but the course of action he adopted was ill conceived, poorly thought through, and badly managed in its implementation.
"I consider that the suspended officers suffered unnecessary detriment consequent upon the manner in which this matter was handled and the way in which they were treated."
The report opens the way for the officers to bring major compensation claims against the Prison Service.
Brian Caton, general secretary of the Prison Officers Association, said some of the suspended officers had done nothing wrong other than to arouse the suspicions of other staff. He said: "These allegations will stay with them for the rest of their careers and to drag them through this process is awful."
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: " The Nat ional Offender Management Service has accepted the findings of the report into HMP Pentonville. Noms is working to consider each of the recommendations, learn lessons and make any necessary changes. We will also be seeking to work closely with the Prison Officers Association on these issues."
