A prison officer and an inmate have both been jailed after an intimate relationship was uncovered at a maximum security prison. Jade Morris, 37, a former custody officer at HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire, was sentenced to 12 months at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (9 October). Inmate Jerome Nunes, 35, was jailed for nine months after the judge said he had "abused" his relationship with Morris.
Over 5,000 illicit messages exchanged
The court heard on Thursday (8 October) that the pair used multiple phones to communicate after Morris began working at the prison in 2022. They exchanged more than 5,000 illicit Snapchat messages during the relationship, conducted through a "contraband" mobile phone, which included Morris sending pictures of herself to Nunes, a convicted drug-dealer.
Morris described the allegations as "ludicrous" at the start of a police inquiry, which only began when Nunes threw his illegally-held "encrypted" mobile phone out of his cell window. However, she later pleaded guilty at a hearing in March to offences of misconduct in public office and encouraging Nunes to use a prohibited device. Nunes, from Newport in south Wales, pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates' Court in February to two offences under the Prison Act 1952 for possessing and using an unauthorised mobile phone.
Judge rejects claims of fear
Passing sentence, Judge Peter Carr told the defendants: "Appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody." He told Morris, who cried in the dock and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue: "You had been working at the prison since January 2022. You were fully aware of your responsibilities."
The judge, who was told that Morris called in sick on the day after Nunes's phone was seized, said the "wrongful relationship" had involved up to 10,000 messages. He told Morris her account to police had not been credible, adding: "You were clearly in an intimate relationship with Mr Nunes. I accept there was no evidence of a physical relationship." Rejecting Morris's claims to have been frightened of 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."
Prosecutor details the investigation
Prosecutor Cathlyn Orchard said Morris was arrested at her home address in January 2023. Her phone was seized and extensive inquiries established that a number stored as "Ghost" was in fact Nunes, and that around 100 messages and 23 files had been shared between them on WhatsApp. Further inquiries recovered evidence of Snapchat calls and messages, including a call lasting one hour and 42 minutes. Morris was interviewed for a second time in May 2024, when she admitted communicating with a prisoner who she refused to name, claiming to have been feeling intimidated and frightened.
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." She added: "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."
