Prison officer from HMP Lindholme jailed over extreme pornography

A prison officer who was found with extreme pornography on a phone he illegally took into work has been jailed.

Jonathan Lever, 36, was found at HMP Lindholme, Doncaster, in September 2020 with his mobile phone and charging cable in his bag.

Police were called and further devices were recovered from his car, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Officers then discovered a number of extreme pornography images and videos. South Yorkshire Police’s prison anti-corruption unit arrested Lever.

He was later charged with bringing a prohibited article into prison, possessing an indecent photograph of a child, and three counts of possessing extreme pornographic images.

Lever, of West End Lane, Rossington, admitted the offences and was sentenced to 21 weeks in prison. He was placed on the Sex Offender Register for seven years.

Det Sgt Gareth Gent, who led the investigation, said: "The vast majority of people working in our prisons are hard-working and professional officers whose primary concern is the safeguarding of inmates and colleagues. Any officers that fall short of that and are found to have committed a crime will be dealt with.

"This case is an example of one of the many processes developed in partnership with our prisons to allow us to identify criminality and deal with those responsible."