A convicted killer serving life sentences has devised a complex plan to help his criminal associates avoid lengthy prison terms for a £45 million MDMA smuggling operation.
William Todd, 61, who has spent 21 years behind bars for murder, masterminded a plot from inside prison to assist drug smugglers Danny Brown, 58, Stefan Baldauf, 66, and four others in evading justice.
The gang was caught attempting to smuggle 448kg of MDMA concealed within the arm of an industrial digger destined for Australia. Brown and Baldauf received substantial sentences of 26 and 28 years respectively in December 2022, following an intensive investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
During the June 2022 trial at Kingston Crown Court, allegations of jury tampering emerged, causing disruption. Rumours suggested that five jurors had been bribed to return guilty verdicts. The judge halted the trial to allow the NCA’s Anti-Corruption Unit to investigate. However, it was later revealed that two jurors named in the allegations had been discharged months earlier, and the trial resumed with the claims proven false.
Court CCTV footage captured an unidentified man entering during the jury swearing-in and leaving quickly. This individual was identified as Danny Thomas, 46, from Reading, who secretly recorded jurors’ names under Todd’s instructions.
After an unsuccessful attempt to undermine the trial, Todd and Thomas recruited Sheree Avard, 41, from Woking. Avard impersonated “Ioana Andrei” and contacted Brown’s lawyer, falsely claiming a juror had confessed to coercion. As the plot began to unravel, the conspirators forged a fake passport and bribed a Romanian woman and a solicitor to support a fraudulent statement.
Thomas was arrested at Heathrow Airport in November 2022 upon arrival from Dubai. Police discovered a phone containing incriminating calls, texts, and Todd’s secret contact saved under the name “Ari Gold,” referencing a TV character.
Both Thomas and Avard pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. At Southwark Crown Court, Thomas received a sentence of three years and four months, while Avard was sentenced to one year. Todd, known for a daring prison escape in 2001, was convicted of the same charge and received an additional seven years in prison.
Despite these convictions, Todd’s criminal network within prison remains active and shows no signs of collapse.
Originally published by UKNIP.
