Former Aylesbury Vale inmate calls prison 'hell on Earth'

A former inmate at an Aylesbury Vale prison has labelled the institution 'hell on earth' and believes it is proof the system is failing.

Ellis received a 16-year prison sentence for his role in a £5 million raid of communications company, Verizon.

Two-and-a-half years of this sentence were spent at HMP Grendon Springhill in Aylesbury Vale and that time is the subject of Ellis' book Living Amongst The Beasts.

Ellis told Sky News: "At any one time there are only 238 men there. Unfortunately they're the worst criminals in the system - child killers, serial killers, wife killers, paedophiles, rapists.

"I met some of the most horrendous people who had killed kids. That taught me tolerance.

"It was hell on Earth. I had people who were rapists and paedophiles questioning me as a f****** criminal, questioning my belief system.

"The whole place was a learning place. But I also felt there was a lot of people there who shouldn't be there, who were using the system.

"They were churning out more proficient predators because they were more aware of their thoughts and feelings and how to act on them, but in a way that they wouldn't get caught."

The robber turned author went on to link his experiences at HMP Grendon to a high profile recent prison escape.

Sex offender Paul Robson escaped from HMP North Sea Camp in Lincolnshire and evaded the authorities for five days.

Ellis thought this was another example of how the prisons system isn't working and linked it to his own memories from doing time near Aylesbury.

Ellis added in his wide-ranging interview with Sky News: "This guy jumped through all the rehabilitation hoops and was deemed a success to leave prison.

"That's a failure in itself because the minute he landed in open conditions, he absconded. I speak to people in prison. There's extra bang-ups, so that means more violence. You've got people like (Paul Robson) who are slipping through the system. They're overstretched.

"It's turned into absolute chaos. All it's about now is survival inside prison and getting through your sentence."

Ellis also mentioned in the in-depth feature how his family and Christian faith have helped turn his life around.

The story can be viewed in full here and also covers details of Ellis's high-profile crime which saw millions of pounds worth of high-tech equipment stolen.