© Tom Blewitt – HMP Prisons Justice Group
A prison officer who exchanged thousands of secret messages with a convicted drug dealer inside one of Britain’s high-security prisons has been SACKED and JAILED — as the Prison Service breaks its silence over the shocking misconduct case.
Jade Morris, 37, from Holmer, Hereford, was sentenced to 12 months behind bars after admitting misconduct in public office following her illicit communications with prisoner Jerome Nunes, 35, from Newport.
Nunes, who was already serving a sentence for conspiracy to supply drugs at HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire, received a further nine months in prison for possessing and using an unauthorised mobile phone.
Now, following a press enquiry, the Prison Service has confirmed that Morris has been dismissed from her position and issued a statement warning that misconduct by prison staff will not be tolerated.
The case has exposed how a serving prison officer and a convicted criminal were able to exchange up to 10,000 messages using Snapchat and WhatsApp.
Birmingham Crown Court heard that Morris began working at HMP Long Lartin in January 2022.
Despite the strict professional boundaries governing relationships between prison officers and inmates, she became involved in extensive unauthorised communications with Nunes.
The pair exchanged up to 10,000 messages, with Morris also sending photographs of herself to the prisoner.
In an apparent attempt to conceal his identity in her contacts, she saved his telephone number under the name “Ghost”.
Nunes was communicating through a contraband mobile phone while serving his sentence inside the high-security establishment.
The investigation began after Nunes threw his encrypted mobile telephone from his cell window.
When Morris was initially confronted with the allegations, she dismissed them as “ludicrous”.
However, she subsequently pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office.
Sentencing Morris at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Peter Carr made clear that she had understood the professional responsibilities attached to her position.
He told her: “You were fully aware of your responsibilities.”
The judge rejected Morris’s claims that she had been frightened of Nunes, finding instead that she had “willingly engaged in contact” with the prisoner.
Her explanation to investigators was also deemed not credible.
Both defendants were handed custodial sentences, bringing the criminal proceedings to a conclusion.
Following the case, the Prison Service provided an official statement addressing staff misconduct and the consequences facing prison employees who abuse their positions.
A Prison Service spokesperson said:
“The vast majority of prison staff meet high standards of professional and personal conduct, but misconduct of any nature will not be tolerated. Failure to comply with these standards can lead to disciplinary action – including dismissal from the Service and being sent to prison themselves.”
The Prison Service also confirmed that Jade Morris has been dismissed from her role at HMP Long Lartin.
In accompanying guidance, the Prison Service stressed:
“We take all allegations of wrongdoing incredibly seriously. Any prison worker found guilty of inappropriate relationships with prisoners can be sent to prison themselves.”
The Prison Service also outlined the work being undertaken to combat corruption within prisons and the wider justice system.
Its guidance stated:
“Our Counter-Corruption Unit proactively detects, disrupts, and deters activities of those suspected of wrongdoing. The unit supports prisons and probation services, with specialist staff working alongside the police to support their investigations.”
Officials further confirmed that work has continued over recent years to strengthen the prison system’s counter-corruption strategy, including raising awareness about identifying and reporting corruption.
However, the statement did not provide case-specific details explaining how Nunes was able to use the unauthorised phone for such extensive communications before the misconduct was uncovered.
The case raises significant questions about professional boundaries, internal security and the detection of unauthorised communication within high-security prisons.
HMP Long Lartin houses serious offenders under stringent security arrangements, making the discovery of extensive communications between a serving officer and an inmate particularly concerning.
While the source of the contraband telephone has been established, questions remain about how the communications continued and what safeguards were in place to detect them.
The Prison Service’s response confirms Morris’s dismissal and outlines its wider anti-corruption work, but does not disclose whether any additional security measures were introduced specifically following this case.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Georgina Davies previously welcomed the convictions, stating:
“We hope this case sends a clear message that those who abuse positions of public trust will be held to account.”
