Convict's Bold Move: Boxer Jailed in Strangeways Streams YouTube Interview

A bare-knuckle boxer, Brett May, who was previously jailed for offences including using a phone in prison, has reportedly given a video interview to a YouTuber from behind bars at HMP Manchester, commonly known as Strangeways. May, 35, from Doncaster, allegedly used a mobile phone inside his cell to record an segment for the 'Not Guilty TV' channel, titled 'Brett May breaks silence from HMP Strangeways'. This video has since accumulated almost 30,000 views, featuring May alongside another inmate, Johnny Harman, and claiming to be in the 'penthouse' of Strangeways.

The incident raises significant legal and security concerns, as under UK law, inmates are strictly prohibited from giving video interviews to the media. Possessing a mobile phone within a prison and conducting unauthorised recording or streaming are also illegal acts. While face-to-face and phone interviews are permissible, they require specific circumstances and explicit permission from the prison governor, none of which were apparently adhered to in this instance. May was already serving a five-year sentence, handed down in April, for a string of offences including intimidating a witness, harassment, and sending images via a phone while incarcerated.

During the controversial interview, Brett May used the platform to promote an upcoming fight and made several provocative statements. He claimed to have been 'stabbed' and 'shot', asserting that 'no-one's ever got a statement out of me mate'. He also directed a message to 'all the grasses out there', stating, 'You think I give a f*** about jail? I can sit in here rest my life, but please believe me without no threat. People better stay safe. Whoever's disrespecting me or grassing me up and that is a f****** fact, cos something will happen.' Paradoxically, May also expressed a desire to 'go straight' upon his release, wishing to 'do the right thing' and set a good example for children, stating that they 'are not bad people' and have only 'done wrong to known criminals who've done jail before for serious violence.'

This event casts a further shadow on the conditions and security within HMP Manchester. Just 18 months prior, a scathing inspection report deemed the prison 'appalling' and one of the most violent in the UK, yet conditions had shown little improvement. Inspectors found HMP Manchester in a 'precarious state' with rampant drug use and violence. The report also highlighted how large quantities of drugs and other illicit items, including mobile phones, were being smuggled into the prison via drones through broken windows, allowing organised crime gangs to 'operate with impunity'.

This is not an isolated incident for Brett May; he had previously given a phone interview to Not Guilty TV in January, reportedly from HMP Hull. His history also includes being 'left for dead' after a knife attack requiring 85 stitches in 2018, and a scheduled fight in February of last year against fellow boxer Danny Christie was cancelled due to police concerns following a 'war of words'. In response to the latest interview footage, a Prison Service spokesperson confirmed an internal investigation was conducted and the matter reported to YouTube. The spokesperson reiterated that 'contraband has no place in prisons', as it 'undermines security, facilitates criminality, and can cause harm to victims and the public', adding that significant investments are being made in physical security, and those who break prison rules face additional time behind bars.