23-year-old prison officers avoids jail time after sl33ping with inmate she met on night duty

A former prison worker who had a s3xual relationship with an inmate has avoided jail after admitting misconduct in public office.

Megan Breen, 23, travelled nearly 175 miles to Liverpool to meet a convicted drug dealer while he was on temporary release from HMP Prescoed, an open prison in South Wales. The pair stayed in a hotel and continued a secret affair that lasted three months, during which they exchanged more than 550 messages, many of them romantic.

Breen, who worked night shifts at both HMP Usk and HMP Prescoed, began the relationship in 2022. Cardiff Crown Court heard that her colleagues discovered the affair after she confided in a co-worker, who was shocked when she identified the inmate during a conversation. Prosecutor Thomas Stanway said Breen admitted she had travelled with friends to Liverpool, met the inmate, and spent the night with him. She even told her colleague she had met his family, who approved of her.

When challenged about the risks, she reportedly replied, “Yeah about five years but no one is going to say anything.” A subsequent search of the prisoner’s cell uncovered a handwritten note containing Breen’s mobile number and Snapchat details. Phone records also showed 558 contacts between them, with messages confirming their relationship.

The court heard that Breen and the inmate had declared their love for one another in messages filled with terms of affection and emojis, though the romance eventually ended after an argument over the prisoner’s communication with other women.