Life next to 'inhumane' Pentonville prison where escaped criminals 'leapt into gardens chased by pol

Publish date: 2024-06-12

A Victorian relic built in 1842 to house 520 inmates, these days HMP Pentonville - a.k.a. Pen - is home to a whopping 1,200 criminals. A planned £12million makeover to its crumbling face is long overdue, but it's only a sticking plaster for the Category B prisoners doing porridge in the North London prison "plagued by overcrowding and poor living conditions" according to inspectors.

Prisoners doing time at 'The Ville' on Caledonian Road in Islington can boast of its celebrity heritage, having been home to Oscar Wilde, Pete Doherty, Boy George, and George Michael. But Pentonville is no joke. Zara Aleena's deranged killer Jordan McSweeney spent time in the dingy cells, threatening to cut off a prison officer's head in 2020 before his release back to the streets of London.

Though inspectors have praised its progress in recent years, the latest report was still scathing. The prison has a high-rate of illegal drug use, has seen seven suicides since 2019, and cells designed for one person are used to house two. Despite inspectors labelling it a "cramped early Victorian relic, with claustrophobic wings and a crumbling physical infrastructure" there are still plans to increase its population.

READ MORE: The London neighbourhood where life's so peaceful it feels more like the middle of the countryside

The building's age, condition, and design, has also made it vulnerable to drug smugglers and escape artists. Police have battled drone use since the mid 2010s when 'Operation Airborne' was launched to crack down on people flying drugs and mobile phones over the high walls. Nets have now been put up to halt the flights which previously targeted broken windows.

In 2012 convicted murderer John Massey escaped to visit his dying mum after being denied compassionate leave. The UK's longest serving inmate reportedly climbed the prison wall using a homemade rope after hiding in the prison gym. He was captured in Kent a few days later and returned to finish his stint for shooting a Hackney doorman dead in 1975.

Then in 2016 Matthew Baker and James Whitlock escaped after cutting through their cell bars, climbing over a roof, and swinging down a CCTV pole with a bedsheet. They also stuffed their beds to make it look like they were still there. After a manhunt lasting six days both had been tracked down and returned to jail.

For most people living on the surrounding streets of Roman Way, Wheelwright Street, The Drive, and Wellington Mews, the prison figures very little in their psyche. The towering redbrick walls are a brutal separation between freedom and the "inhumane" conditions inside. Their proximity to some of London's most hardened criminals doesn't seem to worry people.

While the recent high profile escapes might seem mad, those who've lived there longest remember when prisoners in your garden was just part of life in the area. Prison escape numbers have come a long way since the 90s, for example in England and Wales in 1995 there were 52, in 2016 this was four.

Cathy Embling, 74, who lives on a nearby road, remembered the old days. She said: "We have had police jumping in our gardens over the years, looking for people. That was 20 years ago. They would ring on my bell and say 'Keep your dog inside'. They wanted to leave all the Alsatians in my garden because he had done 20 houses already. They told me a prisoner had jumped in my back garden and there were police coming over the walls."

The prison is a boon to business owners too. Their doors are often the first port of call for free men who want to speak to their family, get a haircut, or eat a proper meal. Barber Dzhengis Ibryam, 20, of Sam's Barbers, told MyLondon you know someone has just got out because they all carry a bin bag full of their worldly belongings.

"Sometimes they ask for a phone call," he explained. "Then they call their family to pick them up. Last time a guy came and I did his haircut then three of his family turned up and they hugged."

Dzenghis thinks he gets a prisoner once every two months and he has never had a problem, even though most turn up without any cash. He revealed the conversations are the usual barber chat, except they start with "I just got out".

He added: "They either have long hair or it's really short, sometimes the haircuts are not properly done because they aren't allowed scissors. It can be a bit messy and we need to fix it."

A trip to Oli's for some Fish and Chip's can also be the first call. Like at Sam's, most prisoners want to make a phone call to arrange a lift, while some also tuck into one of the best meal's they've had in years.

Owner Oz Toksoylu, 47, said: "The last guy came in here and I gave him my phone. He called his dad but he said he was far away and couldn't come. His mum said yes and then sent him an Uber. There was another guy who had money and he bought some food for his kids, he picked up the fish and chips and then went. Most of them seem happy and like they do not want to go in there again."

One establishment has leant into the handy location just meters from the main entrance to the prison. The Breakout looks like a standard builder's café, but go inside and you are almost certainly dining with recently freed convicts, visiting families, and prison officers. Despite the eclectic mix, café boss Steve Liasi, 59, insists there's never been any trouble, only "dirty looks".

He gave the café it's name when he first opened and relies on the constant traffic of visitors, many of whom he gets to know and who then bring their loved one's to eat on their first day of freedom.

He said: "Everyone has a very different experience, some have a hard time and do not forget, others are hard core and they are in and out constantly. We meet visitors who will come for the best part of two years, and some people travel far distances."

He also revealed the late Amy Winehouse would come and eat at the café when visiting her boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil who was given 27 months in 2007 for a bar fight, and then trying to hush the victim with £400,000. Steve recalled: "The paparazzi were all outside, it was crazy."

While life carries on without much thought outside the prison walls, inside Pentonville disrepair and staffing levels continue to bring standards into question.

A recent letter from Pentonville's independent monitoring board to Justice Secretary Dominic Raab shows Pentonville is far from a cosy holiday camp. The damning letter said "inhumane living conditions" and overcrowding were "not conducive to any kind of rehabilitation".

With an expansion on the horizon and reconviction rates so high (up to 59% for men serving less than 12 months), the businesses around Pentonville can expect the steady trickle of troubled criminals to continue.

London 365 #18 - Caledonian Road, Islington

MyLondon visited Caledonian Road, Islington, as part of our London 365 project, where our reporters will be visiting a different part of our great city every day in 2023.

Ever wondered what it's like to live in the part of London furthest from a Tube station? Or in the shadow of one of the world's busiest airports? How is gentrification impacting some of London's neighbourhoods hardest hit by the cost of living crisis?

From Brent to Bromley, Hillingdon to Havering, and everywhere in between, the MyLondon team will explore the biggest issues facing Londoners, while celebrating every part of the capital this year.

Where should we go next? Email mylondonnewsdesk@reachplc.com.

Got a story? Please email callum.cuddeford@reachplc.com or WhatsApp 07580 255582.

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