Prison Officer Sentenced for Illicit Relationship with Inmate
A female prison officer exchanged thousands of messages, including explicit images, with an inmate over six months.
A prison officer has been sentenced for engaging in a six-month illicit relationship with an inmate at HMP Long Lartin, a maximum-security prison in Worcestershire. Jade Morris, 37, exchanged over 5,000 messages with Jerome Nunes, 35, between July 2022 and January 2023.
Nunes was serving a 12-year sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine at the time of the relationship. Prison officials became suspicious after Nunes attempted to conceal the affair by throwing a mobile phone from his cell window. Police investigations uncovered thousands of messages and explicit photographs exchanged between Morris and Nunes via Snapchat and WhatsApp.
Morris, a mother of two, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and encouraging Nunes to use an illegal phone. During sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court, the prosecution detailed how the pair used multiple phone numbers and fake names in attempts to keep their contact secret, with much of the communication occurring late at night or in the early hours of the morning. A letter from Nunes to Morris was also recovered, which reportedly confirmed their intimate relationship.
When questioned by officers, Morris initially denied phone contact with Nunes, later claiming she had been intimidated into contacting him. Her defense stated she was going through a difficult period, including her father's death and a divorce from her husband, who was serving in the Armed Forces. They also noted there was no evidence of physical contact and that Morris was ashamed of her actions.
Nunes pleaded guilty to possessing and using an unauthorized mobile phone within the prison. His defense mentioned he had already faced consequences within prison and had since established a small food business after his release.
Prosecutors highlighted that prison officers hold positions of significant trust and that Morris's actions constituted a deliberate breach of that trust, directly facilitating criminal activity and undermining prison security. The Crown Prosecution Service stated that the case was built to reflect the seriousness of the misconduct, leading to guilty pleas from both defendants.