A prison custody officer has admitted to sending intimate photographs of herself to an inmate with whom she was in a secret relationship, a court has heard. Beverley Frank, 42, pleaded guilty to the offence while employed at HMP Millsike, a men's prison near Pocklington, East Yorkshire.
Details of the Relationship
Prosecutors revealed that the exchanges occurred over several weeks between August 26 and September 21 last year. The relationship came to light after prison staff reviewed a sample of prisoners' emails, text messages, and phone calls as part of routine monitoring. According to prosecutor Michael Masson, investigators discovered revealing images of the officer, including photographs of her wearing red underwear. The pictures were then compared with official images of female prison staff, leading officers to identify Frank as the sender.
The case was uncovered after the prison's head of IT analyzed a selection of communications linked to one inmate. On September 15, sample emails were examined from one prisoner as part of the monitoring. They appeared to show that he had entered into a relationship with a woman supposedly known as "Jess Richardson." The emails included pictures of her wearing red underwear, with part of her face showing in the images. She also had a tongue piercing. There were additional messages from a woman supposedly known as "Jess Love" who seemed to be aware of processes inside the prison.
Discovery and Arrest
The head of IT approached a prison intelligence officer and handed over his findings. The pictures were compared with currently employed female staff and matched Frank. The intelligence officer was given authority to monitor the prisoner's telephone calls, and a log was created of the calls between him and "Jess Love" – who, in reality, was Frank. When she arrived at 8am for a work shift at HMP Millsike on September 20, she was met by the intelligence officer and a member of security staff. She was kept away from other staff and taken away for questioning.
Initially, Frank denied any involvement outside of work. However, she later admitted, "Do you know what? Yes, I have been doing it. I know it's wrong." She was arrested, and a mobile phone was seized containing the photographs. There was no suggestion that she had given a phone or drugs to the prisoner. Frank had a previous conviction for an unrelated offence.
Court Proceedings and Sentence
Amber Hobson, mitigating, noted that Frank pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. "She made admissions when she was confronted by staff about her behaviour and she has never tried to hide what she has done," said Miss Hobson. Frank, who has children, had cooperated well with the probation service and was deemed suitable for community support rather than imprisonment. "She does not excuse her behaviour. She is candid, upfront and she takes responsibility. She understands that the reason that she sits in the dock is the result of her own actions," added Miss Hobson.
Frank admitted that she had received training on the dangers of forming relationships with prisoners. "She had training and she knows that what she did was wrong and that she ought not to have done it," said Miss Hobson. "She is here and she wants to take full responsibility for that."
Judge John Thackray KC told Frank: "All offences of this kind are serious. You formed a relationship with a prisoner at HMP Millsike. You were working as a prison custody officer, a trusted position. The forming of a relationship in these circumstances causes serious jeopardy to the safety and security of the prison and those within it, both inmates and staff. You accept that you would have, and did, receive training as to the dangers of forming such a relationship. I accept that your remorse is sincere and profound."
Frank, of Albany Road, Leeds, was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence, 100 hours' unpaid work, 15 days' rehabilitation, and a one-year ban from contacting the prisoner. A deprivation order was made for her mobile phone. "If you breach the order, it's likely that you will have to serve the sentence of eight months," said Judge Thackray.
Background on HMP Millsike
Privately-operated HMP Millsike, in Moor Lane, Full Sutton, opened in March last year and was billed as the country's first all-electric, eco-friendly prison. It has capacity for 1,468 male resettlement prisoners.
