Overview

• Leonie Wilkinson pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office, unauthorized computer access and encouraging possession of a mobile device at Preston Crown Court.
• Judge Michael Maher gave her a 12-month jail term suspended for 18 months and ordered 120 hours of community service plus 20 days of rehabilitation activities.
• Investigators recovered a contraband phone from Gary Hampson’s cell on June 27, 2021, and later found a revealing birthday card sent by Wilkinson during a staff search on July 6.
• Gary Hampson admitted encouraging misconduct in public office and possessing an illicit phone and was handed an extra six months to run consecutively with his existing sentence.
• HM Prison and Probation Service has launched a review of conflict-of-interest reporting and anti-corruption safeguards after pandemic-related vetting delays exposed procedural gaps.