Mitchell Ingham was serving a life sentence for murder at HMP Deerbolt in County Durham when he used an illicit iPhone to message a female prison officer and family
A murderer serving a life sentence used a smuggled iPhone to FaceTime and message a prison officer and family, a court heard.
Mitchell Ingham, 25, who was serving life at HMP Deerbolt in County Durham, started using the illicit iPhone to communicate with a female prison officer and others.
He referred to the prison officer as “babe” in one message, with the guard responding with a “miss you” message, Durham Crown Court was told.
Ellis Eyles, 24, from Darlington, the prison officer involved, is due to be sentenced next month for her role in the offences. Ingham had also enquired about another inmate whom he wanted to see “done in”.
On Tuesday, Ingham, now incarcerated at HMP Lindholme in South Yorkshire, appeared before the court to face charges related to possessing a mobile phone in prison and using it while behind bars. He pleaded guilty to both offences.
The court was told that in June 2023, a search of a prisoner’s cell at HMP Deerbolt uncovered an iPhone and charger hidden behind a false panel in a cabinet. The phone was inspected and quickly linked to Ingham, thanks to the messages and photos found on it, reports Chronicle Live.
The court was informed that Ingham had signed off one message as ‘Mitch’ and had even Googled himself online. There were also various messages sent to Eyles, who was subsequently arrested at her home.
Prosecutor Antonia Adie revealed: “The defendant engaged in illicit communication with his co-accused, including various FaceTime calls. On June 10, 2023, a FaceTime call was made lasting 37 minutes.”
The court learned that Ingham received a message from Eyles saying “miss you” with kisses, and he referred to the prison officer as “babe” in one of his messages.
Ms Adie further disclosed that Ingham used the phone to contact members of his family, including his mother, as well as “other individuals”. She continued: “On July 25, 2023, the defendant asked [Eyles] the location of another prisoner in Deerbolt, telling her ‘getting him done in’. She told him he was in the segregation unit.”
The court was told that Ingham had two previous convictions for four offences. In 2016, when he was just 15, Ingham was handed a life sentence for the murder of Dominic Doyle in the Manchester area.
The Manchester Evening News reported that he showed “no remorse and swaggered into the dock smiling” during his sentencing hearing.
Defence lawyer Jillian Newton stated that Ingham is not eligible for parole until 2028 and that his best mitigation was his early guilty plea. She added: “It is the first time he has offended [behind bars] and has expressed remorse for his actions.
“He absolutely doesn’t want to end up in this position again. He wishes to inform the court that he understands the seriousness of his actions.”
She further stated that Ingham has spent his time behind bars “wisely” and has completed several courses. The court was informed that other inmates might have also used the phone.
Judge Nathan Adams handed down a nine-month prison sentence to Ingham, which will run consecutively to his life sentence.