A prison warder who was ‘taken in by the charms’ of a convicted robber has escaped a jail sentence over an illicit relationship with the prisoner which included 50 hours of phone calls in five months.
Lauren Joyce, 24, swapped almost 500 messages with 30-year old drug dealer Michael Smith after he began showering her with attention shortly after a painful split from her boyfriend.
Over a five month period in 2017 Joyce spent a total of 50 hours chatting on the phone to Smith after he acquired two mobile telephones on the black market while serving a four year stretch at Thorn Cross jail near Warrington, Cheshire.
They also swapped messages on Facebook and Instagram before their forbidden relationship emerged and his phones were found when Smith’s cell was raided after a tip off.
Officers found the two phones, plus SIM cards, two chargers and paper work containing Joyce’s mobile and landline number plus her address. Police raided her home in Adlington, near Chorley in Lancashire and found a birthday card sent to her by Smith.
At Preston Crown Court, Joyce wept as she admitted misconduct in a public office but she walked free with a 12 month jail term suspended for two years after she insisted the pair had not had ‘a physical relationship.’
There was also no suggestion she had supplied Smith with the contraband phone equipment.
Smith, from Netherton, Liverpool who admitted possessing prohibited items in jail was given a six month jail sentence suspended for two years.
The court heard the pair met in 2016 when Joyce was working as a probationer at Category C prison at Wymott jail near Preston.
Smith was initially sent to Wymott after being convicted of supplying heroin and ended up on the same wing Joyce worked on. He later intensified his friendship with her when he was moved to Category D Thorn Cross jail in July 2017.
Joyce later told police she had been in regular contact with Smith who began communicating with her on Facebook and Instagram.
Joyce was also ordered to complete 120 hours unpaid work.