A PRISONER nearing the end of his sentence has had his term extended for hiding a mobile phone in his headwear.

Sadiq Chowdhury is jailed at HMP Bullingdon, near Bicester, where he is serving a six-year sentence for two counts of aggravated burglary.

He was jailed on December 2, 2022 at Portsmouth Crown Court after almost a year on remand, meaning he is approaching the half-way mark to his sentence where he could be released on licence.

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However, at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday (December 5), the 20-year-old had six months added to his sentence after being caught with a mobile phone and 31 wraps of cannabis.

He was caught while in custody, prior to his original sentencing, but the incident was not dealt with at Portsmouth due to admin errors.

Prosecuting, Nigel Ogborne said that on August 31, 2022, prison officers were carrying out a search and told Chowdhury he would be stripped and searched as part of the process.

The prisoner then handed over 31 wraps of cannabis. However, he was only charged with possession which Mr Ogborne described as ‘surprising’ due to the amount of Class B he had.

An officer then asked Chowdhury to remove his headwear as they could see something hidden which turned out to be a mobile phone.

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A charger was also recovered from behind Chowdhury’s bed. It was discovered that 15 numbers had been dialled and 11 calls had been received.

Defending Chowdhury, barrister Kwarme Sekyere said the defendant was ‘genuinely struggling’ as he was just 18 when he was placed in remand and he had just left the care system.

“He found his time in prison difficult,” he told the court. “The numbers on the phone were cross-referenced and they were friends, family and loved ones.

“He was a young man in prison for the first time and he simply wanted to contact people close to him.

“He didn’t go to seek the phone, it was given to him. He felt threatened to hold onto the phone.”

The court heard the defendant hasn’t had issues within prison since and has ‘enhanced prisoner’ status.

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Sentencing him to four months for the phone and two months for the drugs, Judge Maria Lamb said: “It remains the case that you used [the phone] and made good use of it.

“The possession of such devices threatens the prison discourse and it [can create] a danger to prison staff and others and it cannot be tolerated.”