A former prison officer, Cherrie-Ann Austin-Saddington, has been convicted of misconduct in public office after beginning a sexual relationship with an inmate at HMP The Verne in Dorset. The 29-year-old pleaded guilty to the offence, which occurred in 2022 while she was working at the men's prison. The inmate, Bradley Trengrove, was a convicted sex offender.
Austin-Saddington's relationship with Trengrove began after he handed her a magazine containing the number for his illicit mobile phone. She chose not to report the incident, later engaging in a sexual relationship with him. She was arrested in May 2023 after attempting to smuggle a Calpol syringe into the prison, which Trengrove intended to use for self-insemination.
The case highlights a broader issue within the Prison Service, with at least 64 staff recommended for dismissal due to inappropriate relationships with prisoners between 2019 and 2024, according to a Ministry of Justice freedom of information request. Austin-Saddington is one of at least 10 women convicted for such offences in the past year.
In February 2024, Austin-Saddington suffered a spinal stroke that left her paralysed from the chest down. The judge suspended her two-year sentence due to her medical condition. She expressed regret, stating, 'I know I didn’t get prison time, but I am locked inside my body for the rest of my life.'
