Inside quiet village where we live next to murderers… but visitors are worse | The Sun

LOCALS in a picture post card village in the heart of England are living in the shadow of murderers and rapists but there's only one aspect that leaves them seeing red.

Brinsford, in south Stafforshire, boasts pretty bungalows, rolling green fields and ponies.

But just over the horizon lies a dark secret – three prisons housing thousands of inmates.

HMP Brinsford is a Young Offenders Institute, HMP Featherstone is a prison for men. Oakwood is managed by G4S.

Locals have said that the main problem is when gang members from Birmingham come to pick-up their pals at the end of their sentence.

They complained of noisy cars with giant exhausts, and of fireworks being let off in the prison car park.

Inspectors branded Brinsford the worst prison of its type following a six day inspection in 2021.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, found that there was more violence at Brinsford than any other prison of its type.

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His report described "shabby cells" and walls lined with graffiti.
Killer Cam'ron Dunn battered a prison officer at Brinsford during a petty row over dirty laundry.

Dunn punched the officer to the ground before stamping on his head five times. He then threw a chair at a second officer before being overpowered.

At the time Dunn was on remand for the murder of 17-year-old Derlano Samuels.

Dunn was later found guilty of the murder after a trial. Shocking CCTV showed Dunn chasing his victim with a Rambo style knife. He stabbed his victim in the head and chest before cycling home on his bike.

Last week a prison officer at HMP Oakwood was jailed for smuggling a phone into the prison. Leah Evans, 28, of Blenheim Drive, Walsall, was jailed for 10 months for her 'gross breach of trust'.

Evans had been using an undisclosed pre-paid mobile to communicate with 'illegally held handsets' belonging to prisoners.

Locals in Brinsford recently spoke to website Birmingham Live about what life was like living near three prisons.

Baz Pickering said that the only issues were when gang members came to pick up prisoners when their sentence was served.

He said that the gangsters arrived in noisy cars with huge exhausts.

Baz said: "To be honest, there has never really been a problem. If there was a problem, I would say all the people come and hide in the bushes and they all smoke there and you can see the clouds of smoke – it's like Grange Hill.

"Another one is if prisoners are being picked up, the Birmingham-based gangs of the young offenders roll up in their cars, with exhausts the size of dustbins."

Ange Pickering added: "They also let off fireworks and sing happy birthday."

Diane Porter said that she had lived in the area since the 1970s and not experienced any problems. She described thecommunity as "peaceful" when speaking to
Birmingham Live.

A woman, who lived nearby, said: "I moved here from living in the middle of nowhere. I was widowed. That was scarier.

"People have asked me: 'Aren't you scared being on your own?' For me to move here, I think it is really safe.

"A lot of people who live here have retired from prison or work here. That gives me a bit of confidence. The land is owned by the Home Office and they cut the grass."

She added: "I hear a bit of noise here and there. You can occasionally hear them at night, shouting.

"Sometimes I can hear them (the prisoners) playing on the basketball court, which is actually nice to hear. I feel sorry for them."

Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I have been here for five years. It's peaceful and quiet.

"The only times you hear anything, it comes from the young offender's site. People turn up with fireworks.

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"They are really loud. Other than that, it is quiet."

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