A prison guard was given "at least" £10,000 by a jailed robber as she sent him hundreds of explicit pics and smuggled him women’s underwear.
Rachel Martin worked at HMP Guys Marsh where the 25-year-old had an “emotional or intimate” relationship with prisoner Raymond Abraham.
He gave her "at least" £10,000 as she bought and smuggled in designer clothes and shoes for him, and sent him “female underwear” and hundreds of explicit images.
At Bournemouth Crown Court on Tuesday, they heard how she was given the huge amount of cash by the convicted criminal and spent thousands of pounds on clothes on his behalf as he paid her bills.
The court also heard how they made hundreds of phone and video calls between November 2020 and March 2021 and exchanged 900 WhatsApp messages within the same period.
A number of these messages were explicit in nature between Martin and Abraham, who was described as having a “significant criminal history” and is 17 years her senior.
Last October, at the same court, Martin pleaded guilty to eight charges of misconduct and a single charge of encouraging the possession of a mobile phone in prison.
Martin sobbed as she was sentenced to 16 months in jail.
They stayed in contact with one another using two different illicit mobile phones Abraham had, that he stored in his cell, and Martin advised him to “flush it” down the toilet if his cell was ever searched.
Messaging a friend on Facebook who asked what others think about the relationship, Martin replied: "Others can see how happy I am when I'm on the phone to him, how much he helps me money-wise as he pays all my bills and treats me to anything that I want."
In mitigation, the court heard Martin had been diagnosed with ADHD and was likely suffering from a depressive episode when the relationship with Abraham developed.
The court also heard Martin "deeply regrets" her actions as she was "infatuated" with Abraham and her weaknesses were "exploited" by him.
Sentencing, Judge Climie said: "You started your employment as a prison officer at the beginning of 2020 and, despite your training, you failed to follow the guidance.
"I am satisfied that Abraham identified you as a potentially vulnerable candidate for grooming and it was effective and resulted in a degree of intimacy, both face to face and also on messaging.
"It also involved you agreeing to convey items like clothing with a high monetary value.
"You received at least £10,000 and a significant part of your offending involved personal gain by way of the money, and as a consequence the sentence is 16 months immediate imprisonment."
Martin, of Salisbury in Wiltshire, denied a 10th charge of supplying Abraham with a mobile phone which the prosecution indicated would lie on file.
Prisons minister Damian Hinds said: "We will never tolerate those few prison officers who break the rules for their own personal gain and undermine the safety of our prisons.
"Though the vast majority of officers carry out their duties to the highest standards, we will always take the strongest possible action against the small minority who fall foul of the law, including those who engage in illicit relationships."
