A female prison officer has been given a suspended jail term after admitting to carrying on an inappropriate, flirtatious relationship with a convicted murderer, continuing to contact him even after she was suspended from her duties.
A Relationship Behind Bars
Nottingham Crown Court heard that Jasmine Hope, 31, exchanged messages with the prisoner, identified in court only as 'IM'. In one exchange, the inmate told Hope that the tight trousers she was wearing made him 'twitch'. In another, Hope sent a message reminding him of when they were 'being naughty on video' during a Facetime call.
Hope began working at HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire in May 2023 and was soon assigned to D Wing, where the murderer was housed. The illicit communication came to light after an illegal mobile phone was recovered from the prisoner's cell on January 29, 2024.
Unsophisticated Contact Continues After Suspension
Prosecutor Lauren Fisher explained that forensic examination of the phone showed incoming data, suggesting the prisoner had deleted his outgoing messages. One contact, saved as 'Carla', was later identified as Jasmine Hope, as it was the number she had registered with the prison. 'That perhaps shows the level of unsophistication used,' Ms Fisher noted.
Despite being suspended from work in July 2024, Hope continued to contact the inmate. A search of her home address on September 2, 2024 recovered a mobile phone with the prisoner saved under the contact name 'Mel-Me'.
The prosecution accepted the relationship was 'flirtatious but did not go any further than that' and there was no evidence of physical sexual contact. However, Recorder Balraj Bhatia KC emphasised the seriousness of the breach of trust.
Spared Immediate Custody
Because the relationship did not become physically sexual and Hope did not smuggle contraband, she avoided an immediate prison sentence. Recorder Bhatia stated: 'There is a distinction here between those cases where there is a sexual element to it or where an official is used to bring contraband into a serving prisoner. Those cases undermine public confidence and they need to have a deterrent sentence.'
He acknowledged that Hope, of Sandhills Road in Derbyshire, had pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and had shown 'an appropriate level of regret, remorse and shame'. In an interview, she said she was 'going through a really hard time' and was embarrassed by the flirtatious messages.
Hope, who has no previous convictions, was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. As part of the order, she must complete 100 hours of unpaid work and attend 15 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions.
