He gifted her a Mercedes 'whip' and her romance with drug lord lag was exposed

This is the drugs kingpin whose DNA on a toothbrush and a pair of Hugo Boss flip flops brought down a high-flying Lancashire prison boss after their secret relationship was exposed.

Anthony Saunderson was the mastermind behind a vast drugs empire, using the EncroChat messaging service to operate his illicit business. His use of the platform ultimately exposed his connection to Kerri Pegg, from Up Holland.

Pegg's impressive career saw her rise from graduate to governor at HMP Kirkham in Lancashire in just six years. However, her professional success was marred by her involvement with Saunderson, who was known to his associates by the aliases "Jesse Pinkman" and "James Gandolfini".

Preston Crown Court heard that Pegg, 42, had helped Saunderson secure day release and had accepted a £12,000 Mercedes as a gift from him. During the three-week trial, the jury was presented with evidence of the pair's relationship, including messages on Saunderson's phone and his DNA found on personal items at Pegg's home.

A raid on Pegg's property uncovered Saunderson's DNA on a pair of size 10 Hugo Boss flip flops and a toothbrush. Messages on Saunderson's phone, such as "car her for ya bird 12 quid or work" and a picture of a black Mercedes coupe, further revealed the nature of their relationship.

The court interpreted "12 quid" as £12,000 and "work" as a reference to drugs. Another message to Saunderson from a friend read: "where u ya seedy man u and Peggy out floating orrel in the new whip?"

Pegg's sentencing is scheduled for Monday (April 14). But who is Anthony Saunderson and what crimes did he commit?

'Anthony Saunderson was her downfall'

Back in 2014, reports the ECHO, Saunderson was one of Merseyside’s most wanted fugitives and was jailed for 10 years over his part in a plot to recover £19.5m in missing cocaine. The then 34-year-old fled Merseyside when he realised police were closing in on him.

He was thought to have gone abroad but was arrested at a flat in Salford and was later jailed for drugs and money laundering offences. In June 2017, Saunderson was transferred to HMP Kirkham and this is where he met prison governor Pegg.

During this time there were concerns of inappropriate behaviour between Pegg and Saunderson. The two often were in her office together with the door closed. In October 2018, Saunderson put in a release on temporary licence (ROTL) request which Pegg signed off, though she did not have the authority to do so.

Saunderson was released from Kirkham in May 2019 and within two months, while still on licence, was involved in another massive drug conspiracy. The court heard he was developing and delivering a programme called Beating Alcohol and Drug Dependency (BADD) for inmates at several prisons while running the enterprise.

Pegg’s trial heard he continued contact with prisons in the BADD programme and was also still close to Pegg, who was at the time the regional official co-ordinating drug strategy in six prisons in the North West. The Prison Service has been contacted for comment.

Saunderson and his gang were producing and supplying drugs on an industrial scale from a lab at a premises on the England/Wales border and a storage unit in Aintree. He was jailed for 35 years at Liverpool Crown Court in August 2022 after law enforcement agencies cracked the Encrochat system, the phone network used by serious organised criminals.

Saunderson's EncroChat massages not only revealed his drug dealing, but also his relationship with Pegg. Police raided her apartment in Orrell, Wigan, in November 2020. The Mercedes paid for by Saunderson was parked outside. They discovered designer clothes, handbags and jewellery, and found Pegg living way beyond her means, buying Jimmy Choo shoes and Chanel necklaces.

Detectives discovered that despite her £3,000 a month income, Pegg was deep in debt and had not declared three County Court judgments which amounted to misconduct, as debts make officials vulnerable to corruption.

Her four credit cards were “maxed out” and she had 6p in her savings account. Detectives also found a toothbrush and a pair of Hugo Boss flip flops both carrying Saunderson’s DNA.

Andrew Alty, defending, in his closing speech to the jury, claimed Pegg had been, “green and stupid” and a naive and gullible person who was manipulated by Saunderson. Pegg tearfully told jurors she had been “incredibly stupid” but did not think she had done anything wrong.

Barbara-Louise Webster, prosecuting, said Pegg had a promising future, but added: “Anthony Saunderson was her downfall.”

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