Drug-filled deodorant bottles hurled over prison walls in Wakefield criminal twins' smuggling plot
They had arranged the delivery on the phone
A pair of twin brothers who hatched a plan to smuggle cannabis into prison by hurling it over the wall have both been handed new jail sentences.
Thomas and Isaac Bickersteth were caught after hollowed-out deodorant containers stuffed with the drug were found inside the perimeter fence of HMP Doncaster.
The pair were both serving prisoners at different jails, but after Isaac was released, he arranged with his brother to deliver the drugs.
Prosecutor Sam Roxborough told Leeds Crown Court that a dog handler at the South Yorkshire prison has been patrolling the fence on December 27 last year when they came across two roll-on deodorant containers.
Smelling strongly of cannabis, they found it to contain around 26 grammes of the drug.
Worth around £250 on the streets, Mr Roxborough estimated it could have been worth "four or fives times that" in a prison setting.
CCTV was reviewed and showed Isaac throwing the deodorant sticks at around 8am that morning. Further investigation found that Isaac had been released around a week earlier.
There had also been several phone calls between the brothers in which they organised the drugs to be launched over the high wall near to the exercise yard.
Other items were also found caught in the netting on the perimeter wall.
Both 20-year-olds denied conspiracy to convey articles into prison. When Isaac was arrested he was found to have a small amount of cannabis on him.
They eventually both admitted their guilt, with Isaac also admitting possessing a Class B drug.
Isaac, of Leatham Park Road, Featherstone, has two previous convictions for five offences.
Thomas, formerly of Pinderfields Road, Wakefield, has two previous convictions for seven offences, including dealing drugs for which he received a 49-month sentence last year.
Mitigating for Isaac, Imran Khan said he had struggled without his brother.
He added: "It caused a lot of depression and anxiety. He had spent all of his life with him, to be away from him caused a lot of mental-health problems.
"He knows what he has done is wrong and understands he must be punished for it.
“He is trying to turn his life around and this was a moment of silliness."
For Thomas, Shebanne Devadasan said he was "tired of this lifestyle" and was working hard in prison, having been given a privileged role in the servery.
The judge, Recorder Ian Mullarkey, gave them both a 13-month sentence.