A besotted prison officer told a jailed gangster how she was ‘literally praying’ to have his baby – and was seen leading him into a locked office for illicit sexual encounters.
Charlotte Winstanley, 27, struck up a forbidden relationship with dangerous inmate Jabhari Blair during her time working at HMP Lindholme in South Yorkshire.
The disgraced guard faces up to ten years in jail after admitting misconduct in a public office.
Sheffield Crown Court heard how she became infatuated with Blair, 30, a member of an organised crime gang serving a 12-and-a-half years for stabbing a man in a mass brawl.
Winstanley confided in a colleague that she was ‘having sex daily and it was the best sex she ever had’.
The corrupt officer, from Stainforth, in South Yorkshire, traded explicit messages with Blair in which she professed her love.
In one exchange, Blair told Winstanley of his desire to give her a ‘beautiful baby’. Winstanley replied: ‘I’m literally, literally praying to have your baby.’
The court was read explicit and graphic emails sent by Winstanley to Blair under an alias, including one that read: ‘I think about your touch… and appreciate you more than you know. Just thinking about it – I miss it.’
Blair meanwhile responded talking of her ‘sexy lips’ and ‘lil booty’, describing how ‘your body used to respond to my touch’.
Prosecutors described footage showing her leading Blair into a locked office, where they remained alone for three minutes.
Winstanley also arrived at the prison early and again took Blair into an office before her shift even began.
Later the same day, she escorted him back into an office for a further 40 minutes.
Aaron Dinnes, prosecuting, said: ‘They professed their love and engaged in detailed WhatsApp and Snapchat communications.
‘They talked about the intimacy within their relationship, and Blair described that that he ‘can’t wait to give’ Winstanley ‘a beautiful baby’.
‘The messages are explicit in nature and they discuss sex. Winstanley says to Blair: ‘I’m literally, literally praying to have your baby’.
‘They also discussed that Mondays are their date night, despite her being a prison officer and him being an inmate.’
The illicit romance began in August 2022 after Winstanley, who had been trained in corruption prevention, was posted to J Wing, where Blair was under her direct control.
Her phone was seized following concerns from prison bosses that she was ferrying contraband into the Category C prison.
Searches revealed Blair directing Winstanley to buy items on his behalf, including SIM cards and SD cards, and even pointing her to the Argos website to select what he wanted smuggled inside.
Mr Dinnes added: ‘In effect, she acted as his link to the outside community from prison.’
The court also heard that Winstanley met with Blair’s mother outside prison and shared confidential information, including sensitive plans to move him to another jail.
In one email, under the pseudonym ‘Debbie Embleton’ Winstanley told Blair: ‘Every sacrifice I made I did it so I could be with you.
‘I love my job but I love you more.’
After being suspended from the prison service in November 2022, Winstanley registered to visit Blair at HMP Ranby in Nottinghamshire.
Their relationship eventually lasted for three years.
Winstanley admitted misconduct in a public office between August and November 2022. She also admitted sending a photograph from inside the prison.
Jeremy Richardson, KC, the Recorder of Sheffield, adjourned passing sentence after describing the case as ‘exceptionally serious’ and ‘much worse than many of the other cases’ of female prison officers jailed for misconduct.
He said: ‘It is my normal practice to pass sentence promptly after I have heard the case.
‘But there are some cases, usually very serious, where it is necessary to pull back and consider the case with great care and think carefully about what is the right course of action.
‘In this case, the criminality, particularly on your part, Charlotte Winstanley, is exceptionally serious of its kind.
‘For a prison officer, young or old, to have conducted a sexual affair with a prisoner is bad enough.
‘For it to be over a prolonged period of time worsens the matter, and then to be a party to smuggling in various items, brazening it out when prison officials raise corruption issues and give you an opportunity to confess, and it gets worse still.
‘When eventually you are suspended, when the man with whom you have been in a relationship with has been transferred to another prison, you volunteer to be a visitor and continue the relationship.
‘When all of that is pulled together it makes it a very, very serious case of its kind.’
Blair, who was jailed in 2014 after stabbing a man during a gang brawl in Bradford, admitted possessing cannabis, a phone and a USB stick found in his cell.
Winstanley’s barrister Khadim Al-Hassan said: ‘If there was ever a job that required an age of maturity requirement, this is one.
‘This defendant had always lived at home, this was her second job. The only previous relationship she had was at school when she was 15.
‘The relationship was not instigated by her but she accepts that she was drawn into that inappropriate relationship with her co-defendant.
‘She accepts that what she did was wholly inappropriate and she is deeply remorseful for her behaviour and her actions.’
Annie Fendrich, defending, said Blair had since made ‘impressive progress’ in prison after completing a number of courses.
Judge Richardson said the criminal had ‘corrupted a prison officer, had sex with her and behaved in the most reprehensible fashion’.
Winstanley and Blair were remanded in custody and will be sentenced on Monday.
