PRISON governor Terry Wright has rejected an inmate’s claims that he became hooked on heroin while in Les Nicolles.
Addict Robert Machan, 24, was sentenced to six months in prison for possession of Fentanyl, a drug often used to help wean people off heroin.
He had previously been sent to prison for 27 months in 2004 for supplying drugs and claimed in his recent case that it was during that first stint inside Les Nicolles that he became hooked on the Class A drug.
But Mr Wright said the claims were probably designed to help soften his current sentence. ‘You have to remember that advocates are there to try and get their clients as reduced a sentence as possible,’ he said. ‘In my time at Guernsey Prison, which is about 25 years, no needles have ever been found. I would say that that [Machan’s claim] was a very unlikely situation in Guernsey Prison.
‘He was arrested in 2004 for supplying controlled drugs and one would say that anyone like that would probably be using drugs, but that’s hypothetical.’
Mr Wright said the majority of inmates had committed drug-related offences and the prison made great efforts to ensure substances did not enter.
‘People from the outside are always trying to get drugs into the prison,’ he said.
‘They try to throw drugs over the fence and we have permanent security to stop it. We are reasonably successful at it but it does concern me, especially with a school soon to be opened right next to the prison.’
He said prisoners were drug-tested regularly and a substance misuse worker is available to inmates.
‘I have been here for 25 years and nothing would surprise me with the characters we keep within our jail,’ Mr Wright added.
‘We do our utmost to combat the fight against drugs with the resources that are available.’
Home minister Geoff Mahy, whose department is responsible for the prison, backed Mr Wright.
‘The governor is in a much better position than me to comment,’ he said.
‘I would be surprised if this claim was true. Those who are suffering from drug addictions are given considerable support within the prison.’
Article posted on 26th May, 2008 - 9.30am
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