A prison officer and an inmate engaged in an illicit relationship over several months while he was serving a sentence at a high-security facility, a court heard. Jade Morris, 37, employed at category A HMP Long Martin in Worcestershire, exchanged more than 5,000 messages with Jerome Nunes, 35, who is serving a 12-year sentence for drug-related offenses.

The pair maintained contact via WhatsApp and Snapchat from 2022 until early 2023. The exchanges included explicit photographs sent by Morris to Nunes, according to court details. Suspicion arose among prison authorities after Nunes attempted to conceal their relationship by discarding an unauthorized mobile phone from his prison cell window.

Following an investigation, law enforcement officials recovered the device and uncovered the extensive messaging history along with the explicit images exchanged. Morris, a mother of two from Holmer, Herefordshire, pleaded guilty to charges of misconduct in public office and encouraging the use of illegal phones within the prison. Nunes, from Newport, Gwent, admitted to offenses related to unauthorized phone possession and use.

Both defendants were remanded in custody ahead of their sentencing hearing at Birmingham Crown Court. The case highlights ongoing challenges in preventing prohibited communications between inmates and prison staff at high-security institutions.