London, Mar 16 (ANI): A married prison chaplain in UK has been jailed for eight months after it was revealed that she had a sexual relationship with an inmate.
Mother-of-two Jade Watson, 44, met Daniel Thornton while working at the jail for the Church Army - an evangelical Church of England group.
Winchester Crown Court was told they had sex in January 2010 after Thornton was released from prison.
But she then smuggled in vodka and Maximuscle Cyclone energy bars when he was returned to jail between May and December 2010.
Watson claimed she was blackmailed into doing it after she was persuaded to text a photo of herself in her underwear to his mobile phone, and her husband Peter, who is also a Church Army member, is standing by her.
Watson pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office after admitting keeping a mobile phone in the chaplaincy for Thornton and bringing him the alcohol and energy bars.
"She had a sexual relationship with Mr Thornton and she accepted she brought in a number of items on his behalf," the Daily Mail quoted prosecutor Oliver Wellings as saying.
"Prison staff in particular know the dangers of people ringing mobile phones - a major threat to security in prison.
"The defendant is of good character, but she abused that position of trust," he stated.
Susan Ridge, mitigating, said that the defendant had sex with Thornton on one occasion in January 2010, after she had too much to drink.
"Mrs Watson, who had not drunk any alcohol for 15 years, was pressurised into having a drink and having had a drink had another and did something that she greatly regrets," she said.
"That then leaves her in a position where she is vulnerable to suggestions that Thornton and another prisoner makes to bring foodstuff and a small quantity of alcohol in.
"She is very much aware that she has let herself down and she has let the Church Army down. She is aware she was in a position of trust and she has breached that.
"She has lost not only her job, she has lost her position with the Church Army, her licence has been withdrawn, she has lost all the standing within the community.
"What she has left is her family and her faith - she hopes that will stand her in good stead to face the punishment she will now receive," she added.
A Prison Service spokesman would only confirm that Watson had been jailed after "she was discovered in an inappropriate relationship with a prisoner". (ANI)
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