A mother and daughter have been jailed for assisting in a potential prison murder plot.
By Jason King
A mother and daughter have been jailed for aiding a prison revenge plot after a £4m drug smuggling bust.
Prison admin clerk Jada Wilson, 25, accessed official prison databases to confirm the location of Hekta Austa, an inmate at HMP Belmarsh. She passed the information to her mother, Ezerine Manning, 44, who then relayed it to Ashley Wilkin, 38—a convicted drug trafficker seeking revenge.
Messages recovered by investigators revealed Wilkin had vowed to send Austa “back to Thailand in a body bag.” He suspected betrayal after £4 million worth of methamphetamine, which he and Austa were smuggling from Mexico, was seized by UK Border Force in October 2023.
The court heard that amid declining mental health following two bereavements and the shock discovery that her boyfriend—a cousin of Wilkin—had been leading a double life as a career criminal, Manning fell into drug and alcohol addiction. She became homeless and was left vulnerable to coercion by her former boyfriend, who had since become her drug dealer.
Both women pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.
Wilson was sentenced to two years and four months, while Manning received two years and two months.
Sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Sarah Buckingham condemned their actions, stating:
“The harm that could have been caused was serious. There was a risk of injury or death to Hekta Austa, although mercifully nothing happened to him.”
She dismissed Wilson’s defence that she had acted only out of loyalty to her mother, telling her:
“You cannot hide behind your mother’s skirt now.”
Wilkin, who is currently held at HMP Dovegate, will be sentenced at a later date.
ACCESS TO THE LAW: Understanding the Crime and Sentencing
As part of our campaign to improve citizens’ access and understanding of UK Criminal law, we will be explaining the relevant UK legislation surrounding any case law relevant to our articles:
MISCONDUCT IN PUBLIC OFFICE
As part of our campaign to improve citizens’ access and understanding of UK criminal law, we explain key legislation relevant to cases we report on.
The offence of misconduct in public office is a serious common law crime that applies to individuals holding public office who wilfully neglect their duties or abuse their position in a way that harms public trust. Unlike statutory offences, misconduct in public office is defined through case law rather than a single Act of Parliament.
To secure a conviction, the prosecution must prove:
• The defendant was a public office holder acting in their official capacity.
• They wilfully neglected their duty or misused their position.
• Their conduct was serious enough to amount to an abuse of public trust.
Sentencing varies based on the severity of the misconduct. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment, but sentences typically range from community orders to several years in prison, depending on the harm caused and the level of breach of duty.
This case illustrates how misconduct in public office can have grave consequences, particularly when it involves breaching prison security and potentially endangering lives.
Well, that’s all for now. But until our next article, please stay tuned, stay informed, but most of all stay safe, and I’ll see you then.
Jason King
Birmingham City-Desk
Twitter (X) @JasonKingNews
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