31.

Megan Woodham, a 30 year old single mother from Wigan, worked as a healthcare assistant at HMP Risley in Warrington, carrying out routine tasks such as blood tests for prisoners. She had spent roughly a dozen years in the role, including through the difficult period of the COVID pandemic, and had no previous criminal record. While employed at the prison she formed a relationship with an inmate named Daniel Doran, a 32-year-old from Kirkby with a substantial history of drug supply offences. Between late 2021 and early 2022, Woodham agreed to help Doran bring ketamine into the jail. She took delivery of packages from his criminal associates outside, concealed them, and used her staff access to carry them inside. CCTV later captured her entering the D wing alone an area she was not normally expected to visit by herself or while carrying a bag approaching Doran’s cell and leaning in, consistent with handing him a package. Messages and the timing of subsequent drug use by Doran supported the conclusion that the delivery had succeeded. Her involvement extended beyond the prison walls. She allowed her home in Wigan to serve as a safehouse for parcels linked to a larger cocaine supply operation that Doran was directing from his cell with a mobile phone. The wider network came to light after Doran’s cousin, John Butler, was stopped by police while carrying 10 kilograms of high purity cocaine, estimated to have a street value of around £1 million. Phone data recovered from that seizure revealed the coordinated movements of drugs and money, including Woodham’s role in storing and moving packages. After a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Woodham was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine) and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs (ketamine) by smuggling the latter into HMP Risley. On 10 January 2023 she was sentenced to six years in prison. Doran received 15 years and another co-defendant, Kelsey Higgins, received 13½ years. When the sentence was passed, Woodham burst into tears, turned to family members in the public gallery and said “I love you.” Her defence had argued that she possessed a caring nature and had become easy prey to sophisticated criminals. The case illustrated how prison staff can be drawn into contraband schemes through personal relationships and the relative freedom of movement that their jobs provide inside secure facilities. Woodham has since spoken publicly about the events, describing the path that took her from a trusted healthcare role to a lengthy prison sentence.