A U.K. prison reportedly fired or saw quit 18 female guards after they allegedly engaged in inappropriate relationships with male prisoners at various points over the course of six years.
Police initially arrested three guards at HMP Berwyn for alleged improprieties, The Mirror reported Sunday. Now, 15 additional firings or resignations have been reportedly been revealed through a Freedom of Information request.
Jennifer Gavan was reportedly jailed for eight months in December after she allegedly accepted money from inmate Alex Coxon to smuggle him a phone so she could send him pictures of herself. The two were caught kissing multiple times between April and July 2020, according to Metro. Gavan allegedly pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office.
Ayshea Gunn went to jail for one year after an alleged relationship with a “dangerous” inmate named Khuram Razaq, according to Metro. She was reportedly caught smuggling him a pair of her underwear in her bra. Police discovered pictures of Gunn and Razaq kissing in his cell when they conducted a search of her home, the outlet reported.
Prisoner relationships at HMP Berwyn see 18 staff quit or sacked https://t.co/26KkOg4nUc
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) March 13, 2023
One guard, Emily Watson, drew the attention of the prison staff after allegedly spending a suspicious amount of time with inmate John McGee. Watson was in prison for one year after she allegedly had sex with him on one occasion and performed a sex act on him twice, according to Metro.
Five hundred members of the prison staff have undergone anti-corruption training over the course of 18 months, according to the BBC. Staff have also increased security measures in an effort to reduce contraband smuggling, according to the Prison Service.
“The overwhelming majority of Prison Service staff are hardworking and dedicated and we will not hesitate to punish those who break the rules,” a spokesman for the Prison Service, which runs HMP Berwyn, told Metro. HMP Berwyn in Wrexham is the U.K.’s largest male prison, according to Metro.