Prison officer at two jails denies affair with inmate
A FEMALE prison officer has appeared in court accused of having an affair with an inmate while working at two jails in South Wales.
Megan Breen allegedly had an “inappropriate relationship” with the unnamed prisoner during her time working at HMP Usk and nearby HMP Prescoed.
The 21-year-old was working at the jails between February and May 2022 when she allegedly embarked on an affair with one of the inmates.
HMP Usk in Monmouthshire, Gwent, is a category C men’s closed prison for vulnerable male inmates, which includes sex offenders and convicted police officers.
The prison built in the Victorian era is co-managed alongside HMP Prescoed, which is an open prison located three miles away.
It houses inmates who are coming towards the end of their sentences and are being prepared for release.
HMP Usk houses about 280 inmates, while HMP Prescoed currently has about 230 prisoners behind bars.
Ms Breen appeared at Cardiff Crown Court where she denied one charge of committing misconduct in public office and a further charge of illegally accessing a computer.
The first charge stated: “While acting as a public officer, namely a prison officer, wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder by having a relationship with a prisoner.”
The second charge was that she had caused: “a computer to perform a function to secure unauthorised access to a programme or data held within the computer”.
Both allegations are said to have taken place between February 2022 and May that year.
Miss Breen spoke only to deny both charges during the brief hearing and the case was adjourned until later this year.
The judge, Tracey Lloyd-clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, said the trial would take place at Cardiff Crown Court in November this year.
Misconduct in public office is a serious offence, which, in the most extreme cases, carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Female prison officers have been allowed to work inside male establishments since the early 1980s and there are currently about 15,000 women employed in jails across England and Wales.