A prison officer and an inmate who exchanged more than 5,000 covert Snapchat messages during a romantic relationship facilitated by a contraband mobile phone have both been sentenced to prison.
Jade Morris, 37, from Holmer, Hereford, was handed a 12-month sentence on Friday after pleading guilty in March to misconduct in public office and encouraging inmate Jerome Nunes to use a banned device. Nunes, 35, from Newport in South Wales, received a nine-month sentence at Birmingham Crown Court after admitting two offences under the Prison Act 1952 for possession and use of an unauthorised mobile phone.
Relationship uncovered at maximum-security prison
The pair kept in touch using multiple phones after Morris began working at HMP Long Lartin, a maximum-security prison in Worcestershire, in 2022. The court heard that Morris sent photos of herself to Nunes, a convicted drug dealer who was serving time for a drugs conspiracy offence handed down at Cardiff Crown Court in 2019.
Morris dismissed the accusations as "ludicrous" at the outset of a police investigation initiated when Nunes discarded his illicitly held encrypted mobile phone out of his cell window. The judge, Peter Carr, said the "wrongful relationship" had encompassed up to 10,000 messages.
Judge rejects suspended sentences
Judge Carr told Morris, who wept in the dock: "You had been working at the prison since January 2022. You were fully aware of your responsibilities." He said her explanation to police had lacked credibility, adding: "You were clearly in an intimate relationship with Mr Nunes. I accept there was no evidence of a physical relationship."
Dismissing Morris's assertions that she had been intimidated by Nunes, the judge added: "You could have reported matters but chose not to. I am quite satisfied that you willingly engaged in contact with Mr Nunes." He said unlawful possession of mobile phones within prisons compromised security and held the potential to "cause untold harm inside and outside the establishment".
The judge rejected suggestions from defence barristers that the sentences should be suspended. Having learnt that Nunes has lately been operating a modest food enterprise, the judge told him: "I accept that you have tried to reintegrate yourself into the community." Nunes buried his face in his hands upon discovering his sentence would not be suspended.
Investigation details revealed
Prosecutor Cathlyn Orchard revealed Morris was detained at her residence in January 2023. Her mobile was confiscated, and investigations revealed that a contact saved as "Ghost" was actually Nunes, with approximately 100 messages and 23 files exchanged via WhatsApp. Further investigations uncovered Snapchat communications and calls, including one conversation lasting one hour and 42 minutes.
Morris underwent a second interview in May 2024, during which she confessed to communicating with an inmate she declined to identify, stating she had felt intimidated and frightened. The court was told Nunes has 23 previous convictions for 31 offences.
Georgina Davies, senior crown prosecutor in the Complex Casework Unit at the West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Prison officers hold positions of significant trust and responsibility. The public are entitled to expect that those working within the prison system will act with integrity and always maintain clear professional boundaries. This case involved a sustained and deliberate breach of that trust. Jade Morris knew that prisoners should not have access to mobile phones yet chose to engage in a prolonged relationship with Nunes. We hope this case sends a clear message that those who abuse positions of public trust will be held to account."
