Inmate too intoxicated to appear in court as minister vows to reduce spread of drugs in jails

An alleged burglar was unable to face a judge on Friday because he was “under the influence” of drugs or alcohol despite being in prison.

A judge said it was “a sign of the times” that David Dodd was unable to appear from jail via videolink because he was incapacitated.

It came on the day that the prisons minister said he would resign in 12 months’ time if he fails to reverse a surge in drugs and violence at 10 of the country’s worst jails.

Rory Stewart said voters would be able to judge him on his record after the Government announced £10 million of extra funding for the country’s most challenging prisons.

Dodd, 48, had been due to appear before Gloucester Crown Court via video link to plead to a charge of burglary committed in Cheltenham.

But when the clerk of the court asked a prison officer to bring Dodd to the video suite for the hearing there was a long delay.

Eventually the woman officer at HMP Oakwood, a privately run prison in Wolverhampton, returned and told the clerk that Dodd was “under the influence”.

She asked whether the court still wanted him in front of the camera despite his condition but the clerk said there would be no point - especially as Dodd had chosen to represent himself rather than have a lawyer.

Judge Michael Harington was then brought into court to be told about Dodd’s condition and said: "Yes, a sign of the times." He adjourned the case for a week, ordering that the defendant attend court in person.

Mr Stewart said extra money was being spent to tackle the “acute problems” associated with prisons, most notably the significant increase in assaults on prison officers and other prisoners over the past decade.

Each of the prisons in question will be provided with new airport-style scanners capable of spotting drugs packages inside bodies and sniffer dogs trained to detect new psychoactive substances, whilst new and inexperienced officers will be given additional training and support.

It comes amid growing concern that violence and drug use in Britain’s prisons is spiralling out control, with figures published last month showing that assaults are now at record levels.

Announcing the new measures Mr Stewart said he would step down in a year’s time if he had failed to achieve a “substantial” reduction.

“I will quit if I haven't succeeded in 12 months in reducing the level of drugs and violence in those prisons,” he told the BBC’s Breakfast programme.

“I want to make a measurable difference, that is what this investment is around. “I believe in the prison service, I believe in our prison officers, I believe this can be turned around and I want you to judge me on those results. I’ll resign if I don’t succeed.”

Mr Stewart said drugs use and the rise of new psychoactive substances were fuelling the rise in prison violence, adding that the key to reversing the trend was to create a new “philosophy” in the system.

He said: “It is one of the most challenging jobs anywhere in Britain today - standing on a prison level, standing outside a cell door, working with prisoners.

“There are huge challenges in the prison system, and one of them is new types of psychoactive drugs, which are creating very very aggressive, bizarre behaviour. I still believe we can turn these prisons around.

“It’s incredible what can be done if you have the right type of governor, the right type of support and training, and if you focus on two particular things: drugs and cleanliness.”

The 10 prisons selected for the programme are Hull, Humber, Leeds, Lindholme, Moorland, Wealstun, Nottingham, Ranby, Isis and Wormwood Scrubs.