What a joke
By David McGee
THE top reporter who infiltrated the jail of Soham killer Ian Huntley—and sparked a massive security probe— has landed a SECOND job guarding prisoners.
News of the World man David McGee took a whole series of inmates, including sex offenders and alleged drug smugglers, from jail to trial and back again.
And, as he had access to keys for handcuffs, cell doors and even the escape hatch in prison vans, he could have freed inmates, passed drugs or weapons to them or even attacked them.
But what exposes our prison security system as a total SHAMBLES is that he got his second post using his real identity—and David McGee's name is known even to ex Home Secretary David Blunkett.
After our man got his first job guarding Huntley in top security Woodhill prison, Mr Blunkett said: "The News of the World report exposed weaknesses in procedures which we were able to sort out quickly as a result of the story. It enabled the Prison Service to improve its recruitment procedures and protect the public better."
But when he applied to work for Premier Prison Services, our reporter sailed through vetting, which included checks by MI5, despite deliberately using easily detectable false details. One of his references was even from a convicted fraudster!
Yet, after five weeks of training he was certified by the Home Office as a Prison Custody Officer. For the last ten days he has guarded prisoners, including paedophiles and drug suspects on journeys between jails and court. Our man worked shifts of up to 14 hours for the private firm based in Southgate, north London. His first day was on Wednesday, February 16 in a 14-cell truck driven by a prison officer called Cliff.
The first pick-up was at cockroach-infested HMP Pentonville, dreaded by jailbirds.
They picked up five "custodies" and took them to Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London.
One of them, paedophile John McGuinness, 51, pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault and one of indecency with a boy of 14.
Hissed
Two others were alleged to have brought £3million of heroin into Britain. Turk Yusef Sofu, 30, and Belgian Joseph Put, 41, deny conspiracy to supply the drug.
At 2pm Cliff and our reporter were instructed to take 13 prisoners from the court to Pentonville.
Among them was McGuinness, who had just been handed a two-year sentence. Despite being a sex offender he was not segregated and one court officer hissed ‘f***ing nonce' within earshot of guards AND other prisoners.
Our man could have been a plant to help McGuinness escape. The next day he joined guards Josie and Bruce in their three-cell van. After shuttling between Greenwich and Woolwich magistrates they went to Hornsey police station in north London to pick up a boy of 14 who stank of BO.
Josie groaned: "I feel sorry for him. I can't believe I've got to sit in the back with that kid all the way to Colchester."
The lad, who was up for criminal damage to a car, was given bail, sparing the crew the ordeal of taking him back to prison.
Eighteen months ago our man got close enough to Huntley to snap him in his cell, in a scoop that won us a Front Page Of The Year award. Josie revealed she had been due to drive the woman who lied for the child killer, Maxine Carr, from Holloway—but was ill.
Our man's last job was two days ago, transferring prisoners to Newport Crown Court, Isle of Wight, with colleagues Mehmet and Lisa.
They collected pregnant Kristy Jones, 19, from Holloway at 7am. Before loading her onto the truck McGee checked her Prisoner Escort Record. A colleague warned: "Watch out if she tries it on with you. She'll be after something."
Jones got three months in a young offenders institute after admitting assaulting a WPC.
During his training our man asked instructors if they were aware of the journalist's security breach at Woodhill. One, Maria Smart, told him: "That could never happen at Premier because we're very thorough with our checks."
A Home Office spokesman said: "We have asked Premier Prison Services to urgently investigate and provide ministers with a full report."
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