Female prison officer jailed for affair with crime kingpin
A FEMALE prison officer who admitted having a sexual relationship with one of Britain’s most notorious drug barons, has been jailed for two years.
Stephanie Smithwhite, who worked at the Frankland Prison in Durham, became so besotted with Liverpool kingpin Curtis Warren that she even had his name tattooed on her body.
The 40-year-old admitted kissing and performing sex acts on the 55-yearold gangster in the prison kitchen, the laundry room and in his cell.
She also admitted to other sexual encounters with Warren – once named in the Sunday Times Rich List for having amassed an estimated fortune of £300 million.
The affair came to light when staff at the prison became suspicious of their behaviour and launched a surveillance operation, Durham Crown Court was told.
Rupert Doswell, prosecuting, said despite having a tattoo of a rose with the name “Curtis” next to it, Smithwhite initially denied all the allegations against her.
However she finally admitted they were in a “serious relationship” and a search of her car unearthed a mobile phone which showed the pair exchanged 213 calls between June and
December 2018. Police also discovered 450 sexually charged letters from Warren and a copy of his biography, Cocky: The Rise and Fall of Curtis Warren at her home. She also claimed Warren had had previous relationships with female warders behind bars.
Sentencing Smithwhite, Judge Jonathan Carroll said Warren was a “major league offender” of “great notoriety” and she had committed a “grave breach of trust”.
Warren was jailed for 13 years in 2009 for attempting to smuggle cannabis into Jersey and a further 10 years for failing to repay £198million from the proceeds of crime.
Smithwhite of Boldon Colliery, South Tyneside admitted two charges of misconduct in public office.
She was dismissed from her role as a prison officer.