James Wheatley was jailed for life for the murder of vulnerable Lee Irving and feared for his own safety due to his heinous crime at notorious HMP Frankland, claims an ex-prison guard
An evil killer, who tortured and sedated a vulnerable man with drugs as he held him captive before dumping his body by the side of a road, “hid” after becoming a target in jail, says a former prison guard.
James Wheatley was jailed for life for the murder of vulnerable Lee Irving, who was subjected to a horrifying campaign of violence while being held at Wheatley’s Newcastle home 10 years ago.
He was sent to the notorious HMP Frankland where he soon began to worry for his own safety as other prisoners found out what he had done, said an insider. The former prison guard, who spent several years working at the County Durham category A prison, has lifted the lid on life behind the walls of Frankland, which is often dubbed ‘monster mansion’. And he has given a chilling insight into the prison lives of high profile inmates at the jail, which is home to some of the country’s most dangerous male prisoners.
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He told ChronicleLive: “A lot of the prisoners, you just look at them as normal people until you realise what they have done. You deal with stuff that people wouldn’t believe.”
Lee, who suffered from profound learning difficulties, was killed in 2015 after Wheatley befriended the 24-year-old before holding him at the Kenton Bar home he shared with his mother Julie Mills.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Lee, from West Denton, was beaten and sedated with drugs, including morphine, to prevent him escaping his captors. After he died, his body was wheeled in a pushchair and dumped near to the A1 in Fawdon. He had suffered a catalogue of injuries, likened to those seen in car crash casualties, including 27 rib fractures. Wheatley was found guilty of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 23 years behind bars.
The former officer said most inmates knew Wheatley as ‘Millsy’ when he arrived at Frankland. He was initially housed in the main wing of the prison, but had to be moved to a unit for vulnerable prisoners (VPs) amid fears the heinous nature of his crimes would put him at risk of attack. Most VPs are sex offenders or those who have targeted children, the man explained.
“I had to call him in the office one day to tell him a documentary was going to be on television about him,” the ex officer said. “I told him to expect some backlash. So he hid himself away for a couple of days. He said he appreciated it. He was a target because of what he’s done.
“At first, with Wheatley, he was put in the normal wing because he was a murderer. But then it came out and he got himself moved out of it. They had to move him for his own safety. Something like what he did would make him a target.”
But, the former officer, who wanted to remain anonymous, said Wheatley was easy to work with. “If you look at the pictures of him when he first got convicted to what he looks like now you wouldn’t even recognise him. He’s put quite a lot of weight on,” he said. “You can have a laugh with him. All he ever wants to talk about is Newcastle United.”
The former guard said he would often read-up on the prisoners he was working with. And he admits he was regularly shocked by the details of their crimes. He continued: “It’s best not to know, but curiosity gets the better of you and you want to know who you are dealing with.
“When I was on night shift I used to sit and read through the files so I knew who I was working with. It does make you look at them differently. Because of the way I am I’ll mention it to them but make a joke about it. It breaks down barriers. When you are in that environment you have got to try and treat everyone the same. And you have to block out what they have done.”
