Prison officer had cupboard fling with inmate she 'proper fell in love with'
A female prison guard has been jailed after being caught sneaking into a cupboard with a male prisoner she was having an affair with. Morgan Farr Varney, from Doncaster, began a "physical and romantic relationship" with an inmate while working at HMP Lindholme.
After suspicions were raised by colleagues, CCTV footage uncovered during a prison anti-corruption investigation showed Farr Varney entering a cupboard with an inmate at the prison, and loitering with him on a wing. A search of the inmate's cell then led discovery of a tranche of love letters, with more found during a search of Farr Varney's bedroom.
Farr Varney - who appeared on ITV's This Morning last year to complain of her issues with an online dentistry service - was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in January 2023.
In an interview, told officers she "proper fell in love" with the inmate, and said she was worried that she had "f****d" her life up. After being released on bail, Farr Varney quite her job at the prison, with the inmate transferred to another prison.
But their relationship continued, and police officers later found more photographs of Farr Varney on the inmate following his move to HMP Wealstun in West Yorkshire. Farr Varney pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office at Sheffield Crown Court on April 16 last year, and was remanded in custody.
On Friday, she was sentenced to 10 months in prison. South Yorkshire Police's Detective Constable Scott Jarvis, who is part of the force's Prison Anti-Corruption Unit and was the officer in charge of the case, said: "We take any reports of improper relationships between prison staff and inmates incredibly seriously and conduct thorough investigations to ensure those who are guilty of these offences are brought to justice.
"These types of relationships are thankfully rare, but when they do happen, they threaten to undermine the reputation of the prison service and other hard-working prison officers who abide by the rules and regulations attached to the job.
"Staff at HMPPS Counter Corruption Unit supported us throughout our investigation and I want to thank them for their cooperation.
"I hope this sentencing sends out a clear message to any prison officers thinking of committing similar offences that if you engage in this type of criminality, you will be investigated by police and you will be brought to justice."
Recent data meanwhile showed that a record number of female prison guards have been dismissed for having affairs with male inmates.
A total of 29 female officers were sacked for the offences in the last three years, a huge rise on the nine recorded between 2017 and 2019.
In January, a former prison officer who was filmed having sex with an inmate was sentenced to 15 months in jail.
Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, was working at HMP Wandsworth when she entered the cell of a prisoner and had sex with him in June 2024.
The encounter, filmed by another inmate, later went viral on social media, and she was arrested by the Metropolitan Police a few days at Heathrow Airport during an attempt to flee to Spain.
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