Lawless lags dwell lifetime of luxurious and have flings with workers after taking up UK’s prisons
UK prions are in crisis as lawless lags have taken control of numerous jailhouses across the country while scandalous prison officers succumb to their urges and romp raunchy inmates at record levels
UK prisons are in crisis(Image: PA)
Prison officers are “lambs to the slaughter” as some UK jails are actually being run by veteran inmates, an ex-prison governor has warned.
David Wilson, who has managed some of Britain’s most notorious criminals including Charles Bronson and serial killer Dennis Nilsen, says vulnerable staff are at risk of “being corrupted” by seasoned criminals running illicit organisations from behind bars.
And he slammed the state of prisons across the UK and said inmates are taking advantage of an “absence of leadership.” Previously Linton Weirich – the jailbird who was filmed bonking in HMP Wandsworth – claimed: “Officers don’t run jails any more… prisoners do.”
David, 69, agrees with the disgraced prison officers comments. Speaking to the Sun, David – who once headed prison officer training across England and Wales – said: “Within six weeks, you have a set of keys.
“You are walking the landings of any prison in the country, including maximum-secure prisons. In France, it takes 20 months to be a prison officer. In Spain, it takes three years. Here, after under two months, you are expected to survive. They are like lambs to the slaughter.” All new prison officers are expected to complete a minimum of 10 weeks of training, according to the Ministry of Justice.
The ex-prison boss revealed staff had completely “ceded control” of prisons to convicts inside as lags have taken the reins and are controlling wings of overcrowded jails. Since 2003 assaults on officers have quadrupled as 122 incidents were recorded between 2024 and 2025.
Wilson continued: “Our prisons are being run by prisoners, not by staff. Staff are merely managing and ensuring that the perimeter of the prison is secure and nobody escapes. It’s frightening. There is lots of chatter that people don’t want to get released from prison because it is easier to run the criminal network from inside.”
A scathing report into HMP Manchester from last month stated the jailhouse was in a “precarious state.” The report noted drugs and violence were a serious threat as a shocking 38% of inmates tested positive for drugs in random tests.
Coupled with this, around half the inmates asked about the conditions in the prison stated it was easy to source illegal substances.
The crisis within UK prisons extends beyond drugs and violence as a record number of female prison officers were sacked last year for having sexual relations with male inmates. Over the past five years 252 investigations were launched into female guards getting down and dirty with male inmates.
On average almost one investigation into this issue has been opened a week over the span of the past five years. The women bonking prisoners behind bars not only risk losing their jobs but also could be locked up themselves.
Married mum Linda De Sousa Abreu was filmed romping with Linton Weirich in his cell at HMP Wansworth in South West London in 2024. Another scandalous prison staffer Megann Gibson, 26, found herself in the pen after she had “extremely graphic” phone sex with an inmate while she was working at HMP Wealstun.
Wilson has stated these numerous sex scandal cases are a “distraction” from the wider issues with UK prisons. The prison boss has warned Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) have infiltrated the UK’s prison system, stating in some UK prisons the corruption goes straight to the top.
He said: “Organised crime groups are getting young men and women to do the six-week training to become a prison officer. They join the service, but they aren’t loyal to the prison service—they are loyal to the organised crime group.”
Wilson pointed to ex-prison boss Kerri Pegg who was thrown behind bars due to her dodgy relationship with a crime boss. Kerri Pegg was described as a rising star in the Prison Service after quickly climbing the career ladder from graduate entrant to prison governor in just six years.
She was nicked for misconduct in a public office, after releasing crime kingpin, Anthony Saunderson, out on the loose while she was governor at HMP Kirkham. The court heard that the 42-year-old fitness fanatic had traded in her Honda Jazz for a swanky £12,000 Mercedes C class motor, bought with the proceeds of 34 kilos of amphetamines.
David said: “This isn’t just about prison officers. My god, a female prison governor got bought a car by an organised criminal offender in her jail.
“The high prison walls don’t just keep the prisoners in. They keep the public out. That is why smuggled mobile phone footage on social media has been so revealing—it shows a reality the public rarely gets to see.”
Wilson also sounded the alarm that undervalued staff members are ever more likely to turn their heads due the minuscule pay. He added: “If money is an issue for you, the person that wants to turn you will know very, very quickly how to manipulate those conversations.
“Why not just accept that you can earn double or triple by bringing in contraband, or by carrying messages out? Prisoners are continuing to make money whilst they’re behind bars, and it comes back to, ‘Do we value prison officers in the way that we value police officers?’”
Wilson states more leadership is needed to fix this ongoing crisis inside UK prisons. These managers and leaders of the organisation, you need to pop your head above the parapet and start talking about these things in the way that the police do.
“Sir Mark Rowley, when there was that dreadful incident in Golders Green… he was going to get criticised, whatever he did, but he turned up.
“I’ve never seen a comparable governor, area manager or indeed the director general of the prison service, do something comparable. Nobody can tell you the name of the director general of the prison service…” Wilson added: “He is anonymous. Whenever there is an incident in our prisons, we never, ever hear from him.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson has stated: “Our prison staff work night and day to keep the public safe, cracking down on drugs and disorder in some of the toughest environments in the country.
“All our officers are rigorously vetted and trained extensively before they go on the frontline.
“Where any fall below our high standards, we do not hesitate to take the toughest action possible.”
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