A York prison officer was this afternoon starting seven and a half years in jail for dealing in Ecstasy through drug contacts obtained from inmates.

Vincent Hill, of Huntington, York, committed the offences in March 1999 while working at Armley Jail in Leeds.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court found him guilty of four charges of possessing or supplying Ecstasy after they heard that Hill eavesdropped on prisoners' conversations while he worked at Armley Jail, Leeds, to obtain information about contacts where he could get drugs.

Hill's barrister, Richard Barradell, asked judge Graham Cliffe to take into account Hill's motive "That he was going to take the money to the police and take the police to the source of the supply of the drugs".

He also asked the judge to take into account Hill's poor state of mental health and his previous good character including distinguished service in the Army in Northern Ireland, and during the Strangeways Prison riots.

In sentencing him to five years for the first offence, five years for the second, seven and a half years for the third, and seven and a half years for the fourth, to be served concurrently, Judge Cliffe said: "The drug in which you were dealing is a dangerous drug that can cause convulsions, liver damage and even death. You of all people, with your experience in the prison service, and dedication to bodily fitness, as a PE instructor, must have known the devastating effect that this drug can have.

"It's clear you had easy access to a major source you got through connections you had made while a serving prison officer. It's very sad to see someone like you of 41 years of age, with no previous convictions, facing sentence on matters such as these."

The judge said he had taken into account reports on Hill's health, commendations concerning his charity work, and good service in Northern Ireland, and during the Strangeways riots.

Hill's co-accused, Graham Lambert of Meanwood, Leeds, who pleaded guilty to two drugs charges, was given sentences totalling five years in prison.

Updated: 12:28 Thursday, April 19, 2001