A WOMAN prison worker will be spending time behind bars herself, after admitting an inappropriate relationship with a drug dealer inmate.

Heidi Bessant, aged 38, of Wyebank Rise, Chepstow, was jailed for six months at Bristol Crown Court after pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office while working at the HMP Leyhill open prison in South Gloucestershire as a support grade (OSG) staff member, supporting the work of prison officers.

Heidi Bessant from Chepstow was working at HMP Leyhill near Wotton-under-Edge when she had an affair with a male prisoner
Heidi Bessant from Chepstow was working at HMP Leyhill near Wotton-under-Edge when she had an affair with a male prisoner (prisoninfo.co.uk)

The court heard she began the relationship with a male prisoner, who was serving time for conspiracy to supply class A drugs and blackmail, in November 2023.

And she continued the affair until June 2024 when an investigation into the pair was launched by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).

An SWROCU spokesperson said: "The pair exchanged phone calls and text messages – with the prisoner using a mobile phone he shouldn’t have had – and would spend time at hotels and in restaurants when the prisoner was on day release.

"On many occasions Bessant would pick up the man from the prison and return him later the same day.

"In addition, Bessant facilitated money being deposited into the inmate's prison bank account using his bank card details – activity which further proved the inappropriate relationship they had."

PC Mark Paterson, Corruption Investigator at SWROCU, said: “Bessant’s role as an OSG meant she had a duty to conduct herself in a responsible, respectable and trustworthy manner. Instead, her conduct amounted to a serious breach of trust.

"SWROCU will continue to work determinedly with the HMPPS Counter Corruption Unit and the prisons in bringing to justice employees who engage in any form of criminal conduct; it simply will not be tolerated - they will be identified, investigated and prosecuted.”

The HMPPS Counter Corruption Unit supports prisons and probation services, with specialist staff working alongside the police to support their investigations.

It pursues those involved in corruption, including inappropriate prisoner relationships, through disciplinary actions and prosecutions.