Female prison officer denies having affair with inmate at HMP Usk
A young woman prison officer has denied having an affair with an inmate, a court heard today.
Megan Breen, 21, is accused of engaging in an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with an unnamed prisoner while working at two prisons in Wales.
Breen was working at both the category C jail HMP Usk and nearby open prison HMP Prescoed, both in Gwent, South Wales, when the alleged offences were committed.
During a court appearance on Wednesday, Ms Breen denied misconduct in a public office and a second charge of illegally accessing a computer when she appeared in court.
The first charge stated: ‘While acting as a public officer, namely a prison officer, wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder by having a relationship with a prisoner.’
The second charge says that she ‘Caused a computer to perform a function to secure unauthorised access to a programme or data held within the computer.’
The offences are said to have taken place between February and May 2022.
Breen spoke only to enter not guilty pleas during the short hearing at Cardiff Crown Court and the case was adjourned.
Judge, Recorder of Cardiff Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, said the trial would take place in November this year.
Category C prison Usk houses 280 inmates and is managed jointly with open prison HMP Prescoed which is three miles away and houses offenders serving the final term of their sentences before being released.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.