A prison officer told an inmate “I’m literally praying to have your babies” and she smuggled contraband materials into jail for him, a court has heard.<\/p>\n
Charlotte Winstanley, 27, was in a “romantic and intimate” relationship with gang member Jabhari Blair, 30, for three years, Sheffield Crown Court was told.<\/p>\n
The judge, Jeremy Richardson KC, described it as “arguably the worst case” of a prison officer relationship with an inmate he had ever dealt with.<\/p>\n
Winstanley smuggled a mobile phone into HMP Lindholme, near Doncaster, over which they sent intimate photos and videos, the court heard.<\/p>\n
In texts read to the court on Friday, the pair described Mondays as their “date nights”.<\/p>\n
What did the messages say?<\/p>\n
One message from the prison officer to the inmate read: “I’m literally praying to have your babies.”<\/p>\n
Another from Winstanley said: “Life starts now, baby. Every sacrifice I make I do so I can be with you.”<\/p>\n
A third read: “I love my job but I love you more.”<\/p>\n
One message from Blair indicated that he “can’t wait to give Miss Winstanley a beautiful baby”, prosecutor Aaron Dinnes told the judge.<\/p>\n
Prison cameras also picked up intimate moments of them touching and disappearing together into rooms, the court heard.<\/p>\n
‘Link to outside’<\/p>\n
Winstanley acted as Blair’s “link to outside”, with investigators finding a link he provided to the Argos website, detailing items he wanted smuggling into prison, and she even visited his mother at her home in Leeds, said the prosecutor.<\/p>\n
Mr Dinnes said Winstanley tipped off Blair about prisoner movements, other inmates’ healthcare and a search of his own cell.<\/p>\n
This was particularly serious because Blair belonged to an organised crime group who was jailed for 12-and-a-half years for violence in 2014, Mr Dinnes told the court.<\/p>\n
He said Blair pledged to use his prison contacts to make sure Winstanley would “remain protected” and had “told her that somebody was ready to fight immediately, if necessary”.<\/p>\n
Read more from Sky News: The court heard how Winstanley only finished her training as a prison officer in April 2022 but had worked in the prison before this as an operational support officer.<\/p>\n Part of her training had specifically focused on relationships and corruption, the court heard.<\/p>\n
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