Prison officer sent Moonpig cards to inmate boyfriend who bought her flowers and night at Premier Inn

A prison officer sent an inmate Moonpig cards, bought him cake and a can of coke from Tesco and smuggled contraband into jail inside a Kinder Surprise egg hidden in her vagina.

Kate Southern's secret sexual relationship was rumbled when his partner on the outside became aware of their affair and alerted the authorities at HMP Altcourse. The disgraced guard, who was treated to a stay at a Premier Inn hotel by her behind bars boyfriend, walked free from court today.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday that the 26-year-old first began working at Altcourse prison in August 2019 and was thereafter stationed on the Furlong Green unit. But, in December 2021, intelligence was received that Southern - of Bishop Drive in Whiston - had commenced a relationship with a serving inmate, who was referred to in court only as "M", during December 2021.

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Christopher Stables, prosecuting, described how the prisoner's girlfriend, known as "R", then reported to the facility's security manager on January 17 2022 her discovery that he had been having an affair with the defendant. She also provided recordings of phone calls she had placed to her love rival, having obtained her mobile number from M.

The prison service then identified a landline number which had been saved in his approved contacts list under the name "Paul Jenkins", who was listed as being his niece and had first been dialled on December 30 2021. When his communications were reviewed, it was discovered that Southern had in fact been the recipient and that the 0151 number had been set up in order to divert the calls to her phone "in an effort to try to evade detection".

Contact between the two continued even after M was transferred to HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale on January 6 2022 and was "often sexual in nature and highly intimidate". They were said to have "engaged in sex chat and mutual masturbation" over the phone and "discussed their relationship and future plans they would make together".

A series of calls on January 5 2022 meanwhile revealed that Southern had "conveyed an unknown item contained within a plastic Kinder egg, wrapped in cling film and secreted within her vagina", although this was never recovered. The same day, she had purchased food and vaping liquid from a nearby Tesco Express store using M's bank card before taking these goods into the prison.

She was seen on CCTV footage entering his cell carrying a transparent shoulder bag containing items before leaving seven minutes later with the bag empty. Mr Stables added: "Based on the comments made during the calls after these times, it is the crown's case that there was direct sexual activity involving the defendant and M whilst the defendant was within M’s cell on this occasion."

One call in particular, on January 8, was said to have made "clear reference to digital penetration and oral sex". In further conversations following his transfer, M attempted to "persuade the defendant to hand her notice in at work" while their chats revealed that Southern had used his card to purchase items including petrol and food.

He was also said to have purchased her flowers, paid for her to stay the night at a branch of Premier Inn in Manchester on January 8 and penned her letters. Two nearly identical Moonpig birthday cards, signed from "your baby face KK", were subsequently seized when his cell was searched on January 19.

Enquiries by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit's prison anti-corruption squad revealed that they had been ordered from Southern's account, with one having initially being sent to HMP Altcourse before later being re-routed to Buckley Hall prison. The officer was suspended on the same day as the search before resigning on January 20, stating that the "stress of the pending investigation was too much for her".

Officers later executed a warrant at her home on May 25 2022. When interviewed, Southern initially "denied any involvement in a relationship with M and also denied taking prohibited articles into the prison" but then "admitted to having engaged in a relationship of sorts" and said that she had taken him a cake and a can of coke on January 5.

She also told detectives that she had done so "because of a perceived threat that she would come to harm if she did not continue the relationship", adding that he had "not threatened her, but she believed that he had connections outside the prison and that she may come to harm in that way". The guard however denied sending the Moonpig cards or setting up the call rerouting system.

After Southern - who has no previous convictions - was released under investigation, further investigations revealed that her bank account had been used to pay for the service from Telecoms World. When interviewed again in July last year, she gave no further comment.

M was also spoken to by detectives in August 2023 and denied that she had smuggled items into prison on his behalf or that he had issued her with any threats. He was not charged with any criminal offences in relation to the matter, but is currently "awaiting a prison adjudication".

Philip Tully, defending, told the court: "Ms Southern is supported by her whole family. They are sat outside court because of the nature and facts of this case and they would find it too upsetting.

"She accepts that she has pleaded guilty to a serious offence which involved a serious breach of trust. At the time she committed this offence, she was at a very low point in her life having just left an abusive and controlling relationship.

"It is clear that there was an element of manipulation by the serving prisoner and that he exploited her inexperience and naivety to get her to engage in the conduct she did. He made it clear to Ms Southern that this was a proper relationship that he wanted to embark on with her.

"She was flattered. He made her think that he was a man of means and that he wanted a relationship with her once he had been released from prison.

"She is ashamed and embarrassed of the conduct she was involved in at the request of the serving prisoner. No action has been taken against the man who persuaded her to embark upon a relationship with him.

"She worked for two years without any issues whatsoever. She was well respected.

"Her conduct was for a short period of time, a matter of weeks. This was her engaging in what she thought was a relationship and acting upon request from him to bring foods and other items into the prison and, on some occasions, being involved in contact and chat of a sexual nature - in particular, one occasion involving sexual activity.

"For some considerable time, she has had this matter hanging over her. The delay has had a considerable effect on her.

"She has suffered with her mental health and wellbeing. She has lost the new employment she had embarked upon because of having to tell her employer about this case, and of course there is her inability to move on in her personal life.

"She is now in a settled relationship with a loving partner. I hope your honour accepts her genuine remorse for her conduct and that she deeply regrets and is embarrassed about her conduct.

"This behaviour was totally out of character. She has a good education and work record."

Southern admitted misconduct in a public office during an earlier hearing. She nodded in the dock as she was handed a 16-month imprisonment suspended for two years plus 125 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 15 days.

Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: "You engaged wilfully in misconduct to such a degree and extent as amounted to an abuse of the public's trust in you as the holder of a public office. You breached the trust that the public has in that role by engaging in inappropriate relationship with a serving prison at HMP Altcourse, during which you engaged at least once in actual sexual activity while that prisoner was in his cell.

"You sent cards and letters to the prisoner. You communicated with him by way of a sophisticated deception.

"You conveyed items - almost certainly food, but something else about which the prosecution cannot determine - into prison which was unauthorised. You accepted payment from the prisoner by use of his bank card.

"For nearly two years, you discharged your functions as a prison officer without incident and were advancing in your career. All of the came to and end as a result of you forming an inappropriate relationship with a serving prisoner.

"I accept that you were, to an extent, a vulnerable person having come out of an abusive relationship and you were in a position to be exploited by the serving prisoner. Nonetheless, you received a copious amount of training in the job and it must have been clear to you from the get go that what you were engaging in was completely wrong.

"This was a significant breach of trust that the public reposes in prison officers and was a complete embarrassment, both personally to you and the prison service at large. You express deep remorse for your behaviour, and I accept that is genuine.

"Your circumstances are now better than they were, albeit with the loss your employment. You are now in a settled and committed relationship and you still have the support of your family.

"I will remember the day I gave you this sentence. If you commit a further offence, you can expect this sentence to be activated in full."

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