Extra Year For Having 'cell' Phone
Sun Herald
Sunday August 15, 2004
A PRISONER caught with a mobile phone and charger in his cell has been sentenced to an extra 12 months in jail just days before he was scheduled for release.
He is the first offender to be dealt with under the NSW Government's tough new laws for prisons banning mobiles, SIM cards and other phone accessories which came into force on July 26.On August 3, only 12 days before he was due for release on an eight-month sentence for minor drug offences, Wael al-Khateib, 22, was caught in possession of a mobile at the John Moroney Correctional Centre at Windsor.He was arrested by members of taskforce Contarg an abbreviation of contraband and target as he lay on his bed speaking to a friend on the outside.He was taken under escort to Penrith Local Court where he pleaded guilty.At his sentencing on Wednesday, magistrate Ian McCrae said: "The good order [of prisons] relies on inmates not having access to drugs or mobile phones while in jail."I have little option but to impose a custodial sentence."He gave al-Khateib a 12-month sentence with eight months non-parole. Under the legislation, he could have received two years, but police said his guilty plea and his wife having just given birth to twin sons should be taken into consideration.Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham said: "The successful prosecution and the lengthy sentence shows how seriously we are about stopping mobile phones being smuggled illegally into jails."A well-trained task force has been established to uncover contraband, and this significant sentence should be a warning to others."Our random searches and intelligence-based searches have already resulted in the seizure of considerable quantities of contraband from inmates and visitors."
© 2004 Sun Herald
