Man Caught Allegedly Trying To Throw Drugs into Cessnock Correctional Facility Hidden Inside Tennis Ball

BY ISABEL EVERETT

A man will face court on Wednesday after he allegedly attempted to throw prohibited drugs concealed inside a tennis ball, over the fence of Cessnock Correctional Facility. 

On May 31st, police allege a 31-year-old man and another man were riding on an unregistered Yamaha motorcycle – believed to be stolen from a Dora Creek property in May – when they approached the outer wall of a correctional facility at Cessnock and attempted to throw an object over the wall.

Officers were conducting targeted surveillance at the complex when they sighted the two men.

When they approached the pair, they fled at speed on the motorcycle before colliding with a nearby tree. Neither rider was injured.

The officers restrained the 31-year-old man while the other man fled into nearby bushland.

Officers from Hunter Valley Police District attended a short time later and arrested the 31-year-old.

Police seized a tennis ball which he was holding at the time of his arrest, which they will allege contained small amounts of methylamphetamine, and other illicit substances subject to further testing.

The 31-year-old man has since been charged with eight offences, formally refused bail to appear at Cessnock Local Court on Wednesday June 10th.

Inquiries are continuing.

BREAKING! Cessnock Prison Escapee Caught By Police

BY ISABEL EVERETT

A 30-year-old man, who escaped from a minimum-security correctional facility at Cessnock yesterday, has been arrested.

The inmate was reported missing from the facility on Lindsay Street about 11.15am on Wednesday, after reportedly taking a staff members car keys after they had been dropped on the ground on their way to work.

Around 6pm on Wednesday night  police attended Cooper Street, Cessnock after receiving information a man matching the escapee's description had been seen.

The man was arrested a short time later on King Street, with a car believed to have been used by the man seized.

He was taken to Cessnock Police Station and charged with escaping lawful custody, taking and driving conveyance, being a disqualified driver, dishonestly obtaining property by deception and resisting arrest.

He has been refused bail and will appear in Newcastle Local Court on Thursday the 16th of April.

Cessnock Gaol Officer Charged after Smuggling Contraband into Facility

BY JESSICA ROUSE

It's alleged that a Cessnock Correctional Centre officer not once, not twice, but at least ten times took contraband into the goal throughout this year.

Police have charged a 29-year-old Corrective Services employee after a drug dog operation on Monday (December 18, 2017) uncovered drugs in the officer's wallet.

The man was arrested and taken to Cessnock Police Station where he was interviewed.

Police allege this isn't the first time the officer had taken contraband into the facility - he's been accused of bringing various types of contraband in on ten other occasions and exchanging the contraband for cash.

The 29-year-old has been charged with two counts of agent corruptly receive benefit, bring drugs into place of detention and two counts of unlawfully deliver or attempt to deliver anything to inmate.

The officer has been suspended from duty, and was granted conditional bail to appear in Cessnock Local Court on January 24, 2018.

More than 100 Inmates Facing Charges after being Caught out by Operation Purge

BY JESSICA ROUSE

In a bid to crack down on contraband in the state's prison system, Operation Purge has just finished searching NSW's 36 prisons including Cessnock Correctional Complex and collected quite a haul.

From Cessnock, five prison-made weapons were found as well as two smoking elements.

One of the biggest hauls was from Silverwater Correctional Complex where 10 steroid tablets, 4 prison made weapons, phone chargers and more than 15 grams of tobacco were among the many items discovered.

Minister for Corrections David Elliot said the search was conducted over an 11-week period and he's praised the officers who took part which included more than 1,300 custodial officers and 90 Security Operations Group officers.

Prison-made weapon found at Cessnock Correctional Centre.
Image supplied.

"The unprecedented operation has produced great results, with searches of 8,377 inmates, 5,079 cells and 576 common areas. A total of 105 inmates are now facing charges of possessing contraband," said Minister Elliot.

Officers will continue to remain vigilant when it comes to contraband making it behind prison walls and the inmates who are found to be responsible can face prosecution and other punishments such as segregation, withdrawal of privileges and no contact visits for up to 56 days.

Updated: Residents Concerns About Cessnock Gaol Expansion Still Not Addressed

BY IAN CROUCH

Corrections Minister, David Elliott has responded to concerns raised in the media about access to the Cessnock Correctional Centre as part of the prison's expansion.

In a statement, the minister said that while existing access arrangements are adequate, a traffic management plan is being prepared to take into account the prison's expansion and he won't rule out changes once the plan is completed.

"Corrective Services NSW continues to consult with Cessnock City Council to examine all options for future access to the site. A number of proposed alternatives are being considered. We take community concerns very seriously and would like to reassure local residents and businesses that their concerns are being considered," he said.

NSW Corrections Minister David Elliott

Construction is about to begin on the 330 bed expansion of Cessnock Gaol, but residents concerns about the project still haven't been addressed.

Corrections Minister, David Elliott turned the first sod on the facility yesterday, which will make Cessnock one of the largest gaols in the state.

Cessnock Mayor Bob Pynsent says the creation of 70 new jobs is welcome, but residents will still be left with the visual impact and the cost of maintaining a council road into the state-run facility.

"It would be nice if we could sort out the screening issues to the residents who live close by and to sort out the access on state roads and not the ratepayers paying for the maintenance of the roads into a state facility," he said.

Cessnock Mayor Bob Pynsent

Child killer denied appeal against assault in Newcastle Court

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Child killer Kathleen Folbigg has had her appeal against an extra four-month sentence denied in Newcastle Local Court today.

The sentence was for punching a fellow inmate in April this year after she saw her walk out of her cell with a communal toaster. Folbigg snatched the toaster from the inmate telling her "you're not allowed to take the f---ing toaster in the rooms" which led to an argument and Folbigg punching the woman in the head.

Folbigg says she didn't even realise she'd connected until she saw the CCTV footage.

She appeared via videolink from Cessnock Prison where she was relocated after the incident.

Folbigg is currently serving a 30-year sentence for allegedly killing her four children over a ten year period. She's 14 years into her sentence.

Image abc.net.au

Cessnock Gaol Included In New Reform Program

BY JESSICA ROUSE and IAN CROUCH

In what will be a first for NSW, a High Intensity Program Unit will be set up at Cessnock Gaol.

Announced in the state budget, $20 million dollars from a total program of $237 million dollars will be used to deliver intensive services, programs and planning to ensure inmates get their lives back on track.

The program is targeted towards inmates who've been convicted of general violence and aggression offenses  and have less than 12 months to serve on their sentence.

Statewide, the initiative is expected to benefit more than 1200 male and female inmates each year.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot Macdonald says it's vital inmates are given a second chance to get their lives back on track.

"You can't have people cycling back through the gaols. It's obviously not good for the person going into gaol, it's not good for the community, it's not good for the economy. So, I very much fall on the side that we certainly need to keep the community safe - it's equally important to get people rehabilitated and keep them educated to give them the best chance when they get out of the gaol and  back into a meaningful position," he said.

Brawl at Cessnock Gaol

BY IAN CROUCH and JESSICA ROUSE

Police and corrective services are investigating a brawl at Cessnock Gaol which has left one inmate in hospital.

The 32-year-old man was standing near the minimum security section when he was allegedly attacked by several prisoners yesterday afternoon.

He's been treated at the John Hunter Hospital for facial and head injuries which required stitches.

Cessnock Correctional Centre teaching staff on edge

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Cessnock Correctional Centre teaching staff are still fuming from the NSW Government's proposal to outsource inmate education, replacing nine and a half teaching positions with four under qualified training staff.

Teaching staff held a one-hour stop-work meeting on Monday to protest the government's proposed reform.

The proposed changes come after a review in May found the current system isn't sufficiently focused on job skills; however a decrease in education is also found to see the number of inmates double.

Cessnock MP Clayton Barr says if the reform goes ahead, it will fail.

"If you take those teachers away, then you are essentially just condemning all of our prisoners to an eternal cycle of being in gaol which on the one hand some people out there might think is fantastic, which I don't, but the other is that every prisoner in gaol comes at a certain cost to the community and the tax payer and it's in all of our interests to absolutely reduce the numbers of prisoners, not increase."

"Scaling back the level of qualification of teachers has been proven to fail in jurisdictions right across the world. Taking away the skills of the teachers fails as a solution to the prisoner population."

Clayton Barr was unable to attend the meeting on Monday, but encourages staff to continue meeting with one another to discuss the issue.