A DARTMOOR Prison officer is set to lose his job after being convicted of smuggling in dodgy tobacco to sell to convicts.

Daryl Keenan was arrested on October 31 last year after a routine search of visitors and staff entering HMP Dartmoor.

Plymouth Magistrates’ Court heard how Keenan, aged 42, from Paignton, appeared nervous as staff searched his bag.

Along with Chinese meal-style plastic tubs of food for his lunch and dinner, staff found three pouches of Golden Virginia tobacco, plus two plastic coin-bags of loose tobacco.

The court heard how Tavistock detective Det Con Wayne Thielmann later examined the plastic tubs in more detail. In one he found teabags. Delving deeper he found two plastic coin-bags of loose tobacco, under a layer of tea bags.

Giving evidence at court, custody manager Alison Phillips told the court Keenan went red at the discovery of the prohibited items, which had been hidden in an end pocket which went under the stiff plastic-card at the bottom of the bag, saying: ‘It’s not what it looks like.’

The court heard HMP Dartmoor had been a ‘smoke-free’ prison for some time and tobacco was a prohibited item which all prison staff had been educated about.

In addition smoking paraphernalia — such as rolling papers and lighters — were also prohibited, because they could also be used to consume psychoactive substances, formerly know as ‘legal highs’.

Ms Phillips told the court that as a result of intelligence from its security department a cell was searched. There officers found packets of tobacco, some empty plastic cash bags, a number of syringes and what officers believed to be psychoactive substances. However, after opening some of the packages, Ms Phillips said she and her colleague ‘became quite unwell’ and felt they were ‘under the influence’ of the substances they found.

She said: ‘We both collapsed and the wing had to be put under the lock.’

Steve Horsley, a brand enforcement officer of Imperial Tobacco, told the court he examined the branded pouches and tobacco found in Keenan’s cell — and confirmed them all as counterfeit.

The court also heard a statement from Sarah Hayes, a custodial manager at the prison who accompanied Keenan to a staff room as they awaited police. The court heard she recalled Keenan saying: ‘ This is not me, I wouldn’t do this, I suppose I’ve lost my job then. It’s not how it looks. I sometimes sell tobacco to staff .’

However, when asked who, he said he would not ‘grass up other staff.’

On November 4 last year officers received a new prisoner, Oliver Leggert, who had been transferred from HMP Dartmoor.

The court heard how officers seized from him a 50gm pouch of Golden Virginia and a plastic bag of tobacco. The 50gm pouch was one of those examined by Mr Horsley and found to be counterfeit and with the same reference number as the other bags studied.

Det Con Wayne Thielmann said after Keenan was arrested and taken to Charles Cross police station he gave a statement through his solicitor in which he claimed he had arranged to sell two pouches of tobacco to another prison officer who he named.

He claimed the other officer worked a different shift and they had missed each other but had agreed by text the evening before that he would bring the tobacco and sell it out the boot of his car in the car park.

Magistrates did not believe his explanation and found him guilty of the offence. The court was told by Mr Parlby that Keenan would be dismissed for gross misconduct if found guilty.

He was fined £180, ordered to pay court costs of £250 and the victim surcharge of £460.