Prison officer Jade Morris admits secret relationship with Category A inmate Jerome Nunes

Mixed · 2Jade Morris, 37, a prison officer at the category A HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire, had a secret "intimate relationship" with inmate Jerome Nunes, 35, a court heard at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday 8 October. 1 2 Mixed · 2The pair exchanged more than 5,000 messages, along with sexually explicit photos, between July 2022 and January 2023, over WhatsApp and Snapchat. 1 2 Mixed · 2Nunes had been serving a 12-year sentence, imposed in 2019 for conspiracy to supply cocaine as part of an eight-man gang that distributed £2m of the drug around Newport, South Wales, and nearby areas. 1 2

Mixed · 2West Midlands Police investigated in 2022. On 25 October 2022 Nunes' cell was searched and he threw a sock containing a mobile phone out of his window; the phone, a charger and a phone reader were recovered. Prosecutor Cathlyn Orchard said police also found a letter from Nunes to Morris that "confirmed they had an intimate relationship". 1 2 Mixed · 2The court heard much of the contact was late at night or in the early hours, used multiple phones and numbers, and involved fake names and deleted messages to keep it secret. Ms Orchard said it was "implicit" that explicit images were being shared. 1 2 Mixed · 2When officers went to Morris's home she refused to give the PIN for a device and later denied phone contact with a Long Lartin prisoner. In another interview she claimed Nunes's number had been passed to her and that she was "intimidated and frightened" into contacting him. 1 2

Mixed · 2Morris, a mother of two from Holmer, Herefordshire, pleaded guilty in March to misconduct in a public office and to encouraging Nunes to use an illegal phone. Nunes pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates' Court to two offences under the Prison Act 1952 for possessing and using an unauthorised mobile phone. 1 2 Mixed · 2Holly Sims, defending Morris, said Morris was caring for her father, who later died, and going through a divorce at the time, was struggling in her job, and was "ashamed and embarrassed". Sims said there was no evidence of physical contact. Matthew Bolt, defending Nunes, said Nunes had already been punished in prison and, since his release almost two years ago, had settled well and started a small food business. 1 2 Left · 1Judge Peter Carr adjourned sentence until Friday morning and remanded both defendants in custody. The Crown Prosecution Service's Georgina Davies said the case involved "a sustained and deliberate breach of that trust" and that Morris had directly facilitated Nunes's criminal offending and undermined prison security. 1