Jail official had customised cushions and ‘masterpiece’ tattoo for killer lag
Helen Spree, 63, operated a ‘Deliveroo for prisoners’ at HMP Liverpool where she formed three ‘improper relationships’ with lags, including a convicted killer while working for a jail watchdog
Prison watchdog boss Helen Spree has been jailed
A corrupt prison watchdog chief who smuggled cannabis to a killer serving a life sentence has been jailed for five years and three months. Helen Spree, 63, developed an improper relationship with Dylan Westall, 35, engaging in explicit telephone conversations and swapping sexual photographs and footage.
The former businesswoman, who had enjoyed a “successful career” as a sales director for an international company, began volunteer work in 2017 as part of an Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) which examines prisoner conditions and oversees their treatment.
She was subsequently made chairwoman of HMP Liverpool’s IMB in January 2021. A raid on her residence following her arrest in August 2021 uncovered two specially-made cushions bearing Westall’s image, which also featured a firearm, Liverpool Crown Court was told.
Westall was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 22 years in 2019 for the manslaughter of James Meadows, 17, who was shot in the head while on a motorbike in Huyton, Merseyside.
During the search of Spree’s property, officers also observed she had a tattoo on her chest depicting a bumblebee clutching a love heart, with the word “Masterpiece” below.
Spree claimed it was a pet name her friend used for her, but the tattoo subsequently matched images and descriptions discovered in messages traded between her and Westall.
A gratitude card from Westall was also found which stated: “You Master Piece. Hugs and Kisses, Dylan xxxxx.” Mother-of-two Spree also exchanged explicit messages with two other prisoners at HMP Liverpool during a 20-month period which resulted in her smuggling in the Class B substance, alongside mobile phones, Sim cards and phone chargers.
Evidence of the demands from Westall, Thomas Porterfield, 44, and a third prisoner, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were discovered in texts on her device.
A police probe was initiated following multiple prison intelligence reports highlighting worries about Spree’s contact with the three inmates.
Prosecutor Andrew Scott said: “So frequent were the deliveries that Ms Spree described herself as the prisoners’ version of Deliveroo.”
Spree, of Hale Bank Avenue, Huyton, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to misconduct in a public office, conspiracy to supply cannabis and conspiracy to convey prohibited items into prison.
Westall and Porterfield, of Greenwich Avenue, Widnes, also pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to conspiracy to supply cannabis and convey prohibited items into prison.
Westall received a 12-month sentence which he will serve in addition to his minimum life term, while Porterfield received 22 months in custody, suspended for 18 months.
The third inmate was jailed for two years and 10 months after he admitted conspiracy to convey prohibited items, including cannabis, into prison. Westall’s brother Michael Westall, 28, received a 20-month custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and smuggle banned items into prison.
He joined the trafficking ring when Dylan Westall brought him into contact with Spree, with proof of the duo rendezvous at Spree’s residence.
