A female prison officer who was jailed for having an illicit relationship with a convicted burglar told him she was with him ‘for the thrill’.
Niamh Lloyd, 22, met the career criminal, Lee Makin, while working as a prison officer at Forest Bank jail in Salford, Greater Manchester.
The relationship began after Lloyd allegedly suffered a sexual assault while working at the prison.
The two were often contacting each other by phone, engaging in sexual conversations as well as in letters addressed to ‘Big Lee’.
On one occasion, she told Makin, who was serving a six-year sentence, she was with him ‘for the thrill’, adding: ‘I don’t like doing what I’m told’.
Her lawyer told the court that the inmate was ‘the only person who showed her any empathy or support’ and their relationship continued after Makin was later transferred to Wrexham, Wales
During their chats, Lloyd, who previously worked as a civilian assistant for Greater Manchester Police, also identified a prisoner at category B jail Forest Bank as a paedophile and disclosed ‘operational information’ to Makin about the prison.
After being arrested she burnt documents in a bid to destroy any evidence which could be used against her and was said to have been ‘cocky sand arrogant’ in her police interview.
Niamh Lloyd was employed at Forest Bank Jail in Salford. Her lawyer told the court that Makin was ‘the only person who showed her any empathy or support’
Lee Makin, 40, was a notorious burglar serving a six-year sentence. The pair were regularly in touch by phone, engaging in sexual conversations, as well as in letters addressed to ‘Big Lee’
On Wednesday, Lloyd and Makin were both jailed for a year.
Judge Alan Conrad KC told her that with her actions, she ‘undermine[d] the balance of good order of prison life’.
The Judge said: ‘It is said that you turned for comfort to your co-defendant. But the answer to that was not to turn to a prisoner, but to leave the job and seek employment elsewhere. I note you do have other business interests.’
Lloyd, of Coppice Drive, Wigan, pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in a public office, while Makin, of Edgewood, Shevington, Wigan, pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally encouraging or assisting the offence of misconduct in a public office.
John Richards, for prosecution, told how Lloyd became a prison officer at Forest Bank in August 2021, aged 19.
Her supervisors at the jail noticed she was ‘displaying flirtatious behaviour’, particularly towards Makin, and he was moved to a category C prison, HMP Berwyn in Wales, but the two remained in touch.
Prison authorities discovered Makin had been speaking to a prison officer on the phone and that she had been using a different name.
Security officers listened to the recorded calls between the pair and discovered Lloyd had called from an unregistered mobile phone and Mr Richards described their messages as being of a ‘sexual nature’.
HM Prison Forest Bank, Swinton, Manchester where Makin and Lloyd met
Lloyd also discussed ‘prison operational information’ such as a ‘hospital bed watch she was involved in’, as well as naming a prisoner as a sex offender.
Makin told Lloyd in an email: ‘Hey sexy, just got your email, they always make me happy.
‘I don’t want to be your friend, I love you so much, you need to start talking to me. I’m worried, I miss you a lot. I don’t want to lose you. Will you send me some money? Love you, big Lee.’
Lloyd replied: ‘Excited about your cat D. You have worked so hard, one of the many things I love about you. It won’t be long before I can pop down for a visit.’
In one message, Makin asked Lloyd ‘Why are you with me?’. She replied: ‘For the thrill, I don’t like doing what I’m told.’
In other messages, she discussed the ‘alleged incompetence’ of another officer and how a ‘prisoner nearly escaped when the handcuffs were loose’.
Lloyd was arrested at her parents’ home in Wigan on November 22, 2022 and replied ‘no comment’ to questions during her interview as well as refusing the providing the PIN number to access her phone.
Later that night, a former neighbour of Lloyd who also works at Forest Bank, came into contact with her after she knocked on his apartment door.
Her supervisors at the jail noticed she was ‘displaying flirtatious behaviour’, particularly towards Makin and he was moved to a category C prison, HMP Berwyn in Wales
Despite Makin being moved to a different prison, the two remained in touch
Apparently drunk, the court heard, she told the neighbour she was in trouble and needed to call her parents. He followed Lloyd back to her flat because he was ‘worried’ about her.
He noticed vomit on the floor and saw she had been ‘burning papers’. Police searched Makin’s cell and discovered he had a ‘large number’ of photos of Lloyd.
Officers discovered 40 hours of conversations between the pair. She had made a number of internet searches including ‘prison nurse is jailed after sending flirtatious texts and telling inmate she loved him’; ‘how to visit prisoners in Berwyn’; and ‘how to have phone sex’.
She asked a friend to act as a ‘conduit’ so she could contact Makin, even after she had been granted bail and ordered not to contact him. The pair eventually pleaded guilty earlier this year, after initially denying the charges.
Makin had 69 previous offences on his record, and was described as a ‘career criminal’ by the judge. Lloyd had no previous convictions.
Judge Conrad told Lloyd: ‘It is clear you are an intelligent young woman, you are industrious and you are well thought of by others. It also appears that you were disenchanted with your job because of an assault that happened to you.’
He accepted Lloyd had ‘considerable personal mitigation’, but said adequate punishment could only be achieved by an immediate prison sentence. Defending Lloyd, Cheryl Mottram said the defendant had become ‘disenchanted’ with her job after allegedly being sexually assaulted.
‘She felt like she wasn’t getting any support from her superiors,’ Ms Mottram said. She said Lloyd was young and ‘vulnerable’.
For Makin, Vanessa Thomson said the defendant had not encouraged Lloyd to disclose information about the prison, and said they had been involved in a ‘genuine relationship’. ‘There is no suggestion he has tried to do anything to manipulate that relationship to get her to do his bidding,’ Ms Thomson said.
Judge Conrad told Makin: ‘You were aware she was a prison officer and she had to comply with the rules of her job. You know why there are such rules. But I accept you did not coerce her.’
