Glenn McDade: Corrupt Casuarina Prison guard who smuggled drugs into jail for bikies cops 26 month term

A once highly-regarded prison guard who was recruited by bikies to smuggle drugs into WA’s biggest jail has been sentenced to more than two years behind bars. Glenn Stephen McDade was caught with 3.3g of methlyamphetamine hidden within a zipped compartment inside his underwear when he was searched before a Casuarina Prison shift in December 2023. He also had Suboxone, a prescription medicine used to treat opioid addiction. The State alleged that was the tip of the iceberg, with bank records indicating the 34-year-old had pocketed about $47,000 from smuggling other contraband earlier. The strong case against the father-of-one included recorded prison calls and by his own admission, he had brought illegal drugs into the prison on “at least” two other occasions, the judge said on Thursday. It all began after he bumped into a former prisoner while shopping with his daughter, passing on his phone number in a friendly exchange. But when the ex-inmate somehow found out his address and turned up at his house with another released criminal, he felt he had “no choice but to do what they asked,” Judge Prior said. He was at the time working within a special unit for outlaw motorcycle gang members but claimed to have no training about how to deal with such approaches. And he had no faith he would be protected if he complained, Judge Prior said. However, his father was a “high-ranking and well-regarded figure” in prisons, who had taken great pride in his son’s 14-year career and could have provided advice, the judge said. He read out part of a commendation McDade received after suffering injuries dealing with a critical incident at Melaleuca Prison in May 2020, in which then Corrective Services Minister Fran Logan pointed out that guards played a vital role in helping inmates “break the cycle of offending.” “Your offending involved a gross breach of trust,” he said. “The public expects those connected with the prison system maintain the highest level of integrity.” He noted numerous referees had described McDade as embodying those very qualities. “Your offending is totally out of character. . . you were unable to uphold virtues and values that were close to your heart.” McDade was handed 26 months’ imprisonment and he must serve half before he will be eligible for parole. He would be placed in a protective unit, likely “at risk of retribution” by not just inmates but also guards, Judge Prior said. McDade, who was sacked after being charged but went on to work for BHP, is not an Australian citizen and faces the prospect of deportation once freed.