Ellis Matthews is in prison after being jailed for 26 months at Preston Crown Court on 13 March 2026. The 35-year-old TikToker from Bamber Bridge, Lancashire — known online as “Mum on the Run” — was convicted of supplying cocaine and sent to HMP Styal. The court credited her with 108 days already served in immigration detention in Thailand.
Who Is Ellis Matthews?
Ellis Matthews is a 35-year-old woman from Bamber Bridge, near Preston in Lancashire. She gained widespread notoriety on TikTok under the handle “Mum on the Run,” where she documented her life abroad and gave advice to followers on claiming UK welfare benefits while living overseas. She also appeared on the television programme Judge Rinder and attracted significant media attention for openly boasting about receiving UK disability and welfare payments while residing in Thailand with her young son Cairo.
Why Did She Become Famous on TikTok?
Matthews built an online following by posting videos from Thailand in which she detailed how she continued to receive approximately £2,300 per month in UK disability and welfare payments — including Disability Living Allowance — without living in the UK. In videos she described living in a bungalow with rent paid by the British benefit system and in others claimed to live in a two-bedroom villa with a communal pool. In one widely shared clip she held up a quantity of cash while explaining how she had been collecting DLA for years.
She also gave advice to followers on how to replicate her situation, including tips on avoiding UK-based benefit review meetings. The videos generated enormous public controversy and debate about benefit fraud and the welfare system.
What Did She Do to Get Jailed?
Ellis Matthews was convicted of supplying cocaine. The court at Preston Crown Court also dealt with a separate charge of possession of cocaine and cannabis, which was sentenced concurrently. Her drug conviction is a separate matter from the benefit controversy that originally made her famous online, though both issues formed part of the broader picture considered by the sentencing judge.
Her case came to court after she returned to the UK following her detention in Thailand. To understand how drug supply offences are sentenced in England and Wales, see our overview of UK prisons and the criminal justice system.
The Sentence and Which Prison
On 13 March 2026, Miss Recorder Clancy sentenced Ellis Matthews to 26 months in prison at Preston Crown Court for supplying cocaine, with an additional one month concurrent for possession. She was remanded to HMP Styal, a women’s prison in Wilmslow, Cheshire, which is one of the main closed establishments for women in the north of England.
The judge credited Matthews with 108 days already served in immigration detention in Bangkok, Thailand. Under standard early release provisions, a prisoner on a determinate sentence of this length would ordinarily be considered for release at the halfway point subject to licence conditions. If you need to send money to someone in prison, our guide to sending money to a prisoner explains how to do so.
Her Earlier Detention in Thailand
Before facing justice in the UK, Matthews had already spent time in custody abroad. In 2025 she was arrested by Thai immigration officials on suspicion of overstaying her visa and held in the Mothers and Children Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok with her young son. She described the Thai detention centre conditions as extremely difficult, a stark contrast to the comfortable lifestyle she had previously publicised online.
After her release and deportation from Thailand she returned to the UK, where she subsequently faced the drug charges that led to her March 2026 conviction. The 108 days in Thai detention was formally credited against her UK sentence by Preston Crown Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Ellis Matthews in prison?
Ellis Matthews is in prison because she was convicted of supplying cocaine. She was sentenced to 26 months in prison at Preston Crown Court on 13 March 2026 and is serving her sentence at HMP Styal in Cheshire.
What prison is Ellis Matthews in?
Ellis Matthews is serving her sentence at HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire. She was remanded there immediately following her sentencing at Preston Crown Court on 13 March 2026. HMP Styal is one of the main closed women’s prisons in the north of England.
How long is Ellis Matthews’ prison sentence?
Ellis Matthews was sentenced to 26 months in prison for supplying cocaine. The judge credited her with 108 days already served in immigration detention in Thailand. Under standard early release rules she would ordinarily be considered for release at the halfway point of her sentence, subject to licence conditions and compliance requirements.
Who is the TikTok Mum on the Run?
The TikTok “Mum on the Run” is Ellis Matthews, a 35-year-old from Bamber Bridge, Lancashire. She became well known for posting videos from Thailand in which she openly discussed receiving approximately £2,300 per month in UK disability and welfare benefits while living abroad. She was convicted of supplying cocaine and jailed for 26 months in March 2026.
Did Ellis Matthews go to prison in Thailand?
Yes. Before her UK conviction, Ellis Matthews was detained by Thai immigration authorities on suspicion of overstaying her visa and held in an immigration detention centre in Bangkok alongside her young son. She served 108 days in Thai detention before returning to the UK, and this time was credited by Preston Crown Court against her UK prison sentence.
