Prison officer one of five people charged with plotting to smuggle drugs and ‘illicit’ items into Maghaberry jail.

Five people, including a prison officer and a would-be killer, were charged today with plotting to smuggle drugs and “illicit” items into Maghaberry jail.
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While currently suspended prison officer Colin Gallagher (55) faces an allegation of misconduct in public office, his four co-accused are all charged with aiding and abetting the alleged misconduct.

Gallagher, whose address was given as c/o Maghaberry Prison, is alleged to have “wilfully misconducted yourself to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust in you, in that you surreptiously took into HMP Maghaberry certain illicit articles which you then passed to a life sentenced prisoner, for your own enrichment or the enrichment of others, without reasonable excuse or justification, knowing that it was wrong for you to engage in such activity.”

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His career criminal co-accused, currently serving a 15 year sentence for attempted murder is accused of aiding and abetting misconduct in public office on dates between 1 October 2016 and 22 March 2017.

Facing that same charge are Denise Agnes Fitzsimons (60), her daughter Colleen Fitzsimons (age unknown) from Wyndham Street in Belfast and 33-year-old Eamon Clarke, from Abbeyville Place in Newtownabbey.

In addition Denise Fitzsimons is also alleged to have possessed £6,000 on criminal cash at her Belfast home on Rosevale Street on 20 March 2017.

The charges arise following a police investigation into an alleged conspiracy to traffic illegal substances into a jail discovered cash, drugs and mobile phones at a serving prison officer’s home.

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Gallagher’s defence solicitor Patrick Higgins told the court the case revolved around the prison officer “allegedly taking illicit articles into prison for two serving inmates” and that the investigation had produced “hundreds of recordings, phone calls and transcripts between co-accuseds.”

Describing it was “an extremely substantial and extremely complex case,” he revealed that in addition there will be evidence from “helicopter footage, undercover officers and there’s CCTV from inside and outside the prison.”

Applying for legal aid, Mr Higgins said Gallagher “denies all involvement” but highlighted that given his “position of trust…..there’s no doubt that if convicted he would be facing an extremely substantial custodial sentence.”

The case against all five had been listed for a Preliminary Enquiry today (mon) which would have seen it elevated to the Crown Court but applying for the PE to be adjourned, Mr Higgins said there were 4,000 pages of evidence so the adjournment would give the defendants’ legal teams the time to go through the voluminous papers.

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Granting legal aid, District Judge Rosie Watters adjourned the case to 16 May.

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