A drugs baron jailed for trying to
smuggle £35million worth of cocaine into Britain is suing his prison for
not giving him kosher food.
Orthodox Jew Simon Price, 68, is accusing the prison service of 'institutionalised anti-Semitism' and alleges that both Muslim and vegetarian criminals get more favourable treatment behind bars.
The career criminal is serving 28 years after being found guilty of smuggling 700kg of cocaine hidden inside drums of syrup.
Price alleges he was not given
any choice about the food he was served in HMP Frankland, near Durham,
in his claim brought under the Human Rights Act and equality
legislation.
He claims that although prisoners are allowed to cook for themselves in the jail he had to share saucepans and other utensils that are used to prepare non-Kosher food.
The cocaine smuggler, who is demanding £2,500 in 'exemplary damages', also claims that the prison have failed to provide Jewish books in their library.
He accuses them in the claim of an 'indifferent and discriminatory attitude adopted towards Jews at HMP Frankland which consciously or subconsciously reflects institutionalised anti-semitism', The Sun reported.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: 'We are robustly defending all elements of the claim.'
HMP Frankland is a Category A prison
which holds around 750 offenders. Previous inmates have included Charles
Bronson and Dr Harold Shipman.
Price was jailed in 2005 after a jury heard how he smuggled a cocaine haul from Guyana, South America,to Rotterdam.
It was there that the drugs were seized by Revenue and Customs officers before he could get them into Britain. The drugs baron was living in a chateau in south-west France at the time and renting out flats in north London.
The court heard that he had previously served 12 years for his role in a £1.5million armed robbery at Heathrow in the 1970s.
He had apparently turned his back on crime by 2000 and had set up a cordon bleu cookery college and tried his hand at cognac production before he was persuaded to try and smuggle cocaine.
Price has launched his claim after justice secretary Chris Grayling announced plans to stop prisoners using legal aid to sue.
The minister said he had been 'appalled' that taxpayers money was being used to allow prisoners to bring 'unnecessary legal cases' which could be dealt with by the prison service's internal complaints system.
Announcing a consultation on the plans the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said they would annually save £4 million and cut the number of cases brought by prisoners by 11,000.
The proposal comes days after reforms to legal aid came into effect as the Government moves to reduce its £2.2 billion legal aid bill by £350 million.
Orthodox Jew Simon Price, 68, is accusing the prison service of 'institutionalised anti-Semitism' and alleges that both Muslim and vegetarian criminals get more favourable treatment behind bars.
The career criminal is serving 28 years after being found guilty of smuggling 700kg of cocaine hidden inside drums of syrup.
Claim: Simon Price, 68, is suing HMP Frankland, near Durham for failing to provide him with kosher food
He claims that although prisoners are allowed to cook for themselves in the jail he had to share saucepans and other utensils that are used to prepare non-Kosher food.
The cocaine smuggler, who is demanding £2,500 in 'exemplary damages', also claims that the prison have failed to provide Jewish books in their library.
He accuses them in the claim of an 'indifferent and discriminatory attitude adopted towards Jews at HMP Frankland which consciously or subconsciously reflects institutionalised anti-semitism', The Sun reported.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: 'We are robustly defending all elements of the claim.'
Haul: Price was trying to smuggle nearly 700kg of cocaine into Britain when he was caught
Price was jailed in 2005 after a jury heard how he smuggled a cocaine haul from Guyana, South America,to Rotterdam.
It was there that the drugs were seized by Revenue and Customs officers before he could get them into Britain. The drugs baron was living in a chateau in south-west France at the time and renting out flats in north London.
The court heard that he had previously served 12 years for his role in a £1.5million armed robbery at Heathrow in the 1970s.
He had apparently turned his back on crime by 2000 and had set up a cordon bleu cookery college and tried his hand at cognac production before he was persuaded to try and smuggle cocaine.
Price has launched his claim after justice secretary Chris Grayling announced plans to stop prisoners using legal aid to sue.
The minister said he had been 'appalled' that taxpayers money was being used to allow prisoners to bring 'unnecessary legal cases' which could be dealt with by the prison service's internal complaints system.
Announcing a consultation on the plans the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said they would annually save £4 million and cut the number of cases brought by prisoners by 11,000.
The proposal comes days after reforms to legal aid came into effect as the Government moves to reduce its £2.2 billion legal aid bill by £350 million.