By Philip Dewey

Copyright walesonline

An employee of an open prison had an inappropriate relationship with a serving inmate after meeting up with him at a hotel to have sex when he was on home leave. They continued to message each other through calls and text messages, and said they loved each other. Megan Breen, 23, was employed as an operation support guide at HMP Prescoed in Usk, Monmouthshire when she began a sexual relationship with the prisoner, who had been sentenced to four years and four months imprisonment for conspiracy to supply class A drugs. While celebrating her 20th birthday, she and two colleagues drove to Liverpool, where the prisoner was from, and met up with him for drinks while he was on home leave. The pair went to the defendant’s hotel and had sex before she met members of his family on the same trip. F or the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter . The relationship came to light after Breen boasted to a new colleague that she had slept with the prisoner and brought up a photo of him on the computer database, which she was not authorised to do. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday heard Breen began her employment at HMP Prescoed in June 2021 and underwent training which made it clear that prison staff were prohibited from having personal, romantic or or sexual relationships with prisoners or ex prisoners. Concerns were raised about the defendant’s conduct in March 2022 when a new employee said he had been told by Breen she had slept with a prisoner while on a birthday trip to Liverpool. The employee initially thought it was a joke but she confirmed she had initially spoken to the prisoner while on night tidy and she had met up with him while he was on home leave. The defendant went on to say she had met the prisoner’s family and when returning to Wales, and had possession of his personal phone and found messages from other women, which led to them arguing and she stopped communication with him. Prosecutor Thomas Stanway said Breen told the employee that other prisoners and her two colleagues were aware of the relationship, but no one would tell the prison. When challenged by the employee about the consequences of her actions, the defendant responded: “Five years, but no one is going to tell anyone.” The next day, the matter was reported to the security prison manager and Breen was suspended from her role, with the prisoner transferred to HMP Cardiff . The police were contacted and a search of the prisoner’s room revealed a piece of paper containing the defendant’s phone number and Snapchat username. An examination of the prisoner’s phone revealed messages which detailed the romantic relationship between the defendant and the prisoner, with both using affectionate terms and saying they loved each other. Breen, of Feering Street, Newport , was arrested on June 30, 2022, and her phone revealed significant contact between her and the prisoner in March of that year, amounting to 558 instances of calls or texts. The defendant later pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office and causing a computer to perform a function to secure/enable unauthorised access to a program/data. The court heard she is of previous good character. In a victim personal statement read to the court, the prison governor of HMP Prescoed Rob Denman said: “Inappropriate relationships with prisoners and corruption has a devastating effect on establishments and damages the professional relationships needed to make rehabilitation work.” Mr Denman said such relationships undermine the security of the prison, affects public confidence in rehabilitation, leads to an increase in prison disorder, the conveyance of drugs into prison, and rise in violent incidents and an increase in prisoners self harming. He added: “It undermines the criminal justice system in Wales and throughout the UK.” In mitigation, Scott Bowen said his client is a mother of a young son and found out on Thursday she is pregnant with her second child. The barrister said the defendant was concerned about her child should she go to prison, and referred to the lengthy delay in the case progressing to court. Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: “Even though you were young, you held a position of responsibility… You could have been in no doubt what you were doing was wrong and were well aware of the consequences.” The judge did recognise the impact immediate custody would have on the defendant’s son and unborn child. Breen was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to carry out a 15 day rehabilitation activity requirement and to pay £500 in costs.