I knew he was a rapist, says prison guard who smuggled Calpol syringe into jail in bid to get pregnant with lag's sperm

The Irish Sun

18-05-2025

A BESOTTED prison officer who smuggled a Calpol syringe into jail to "artificially inseminate" herself with a lag's sperm "knew he was a sex offender".
Cherri-Ann Saddington, 29, became obsessed with "exceptionally dangerous" Bradley Trengrove after he was moved to HMP The Verne on Portland, Dorset.
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Cherri-Ann Austin-Saddington, 29, admitted she was ashamed of her relationship
Credit: Social media - Refer to source
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She said she knew Trengrove, 31, was a sex offender
Credit: BNPS
It has now been reported the officer was aware of his crimes but believed he would give her "a stable life", as reported by
The pair embarked on a six month relationship where they often had sex in prison workshops while nobody was around.
A court heard Saddington and Trengrove had sex up to 40 times while she was on duty, although she disputes this figure.
She became pregnant with his baby, but suffered a
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When Trengrove, 31, was moved to another prison she visited him using a fake name.
She then smuggled a Calpol syringe in her bra so she could "artificially inseminate" herself with his sperm he had wrapped in cling film for her.
Saddington has now admitted she knew he was a sex offender when she chose to strike up the relationship.
"I knew he was a sex offender because it was sex offenders' prison," she said.
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"I wanted a stable life. That's what I wanted. I don't know why I even entertained the idea of Bradley.
"I think I was just looking for someone to support me. I wanted that stable life that I wasn't getting anywhere else."
Besotted prison officer caught sneaking into cupboard with inmate she 'proper fell in love with' is jailed
It has also been revealed Saddington became entangled in another relationship just two months after her shock arrest.
She is now married to him and spoke of her "relief" at being handed a suspended sentence.
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Her startling confession comes after Saddington, from Weymouth, was given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to charges of misconduct in a public office.
Trengrove, from Cramborne, Cornwall, was already serving a 13-year extended sentence for raping a woman and having sexual activity with a child in 2013 and 2014.
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The mum was arrested after she smuggled a Calpol syringe into the prison to artificially inseminate herself upon Trengrove's request
Credit: Kennedy News and Media
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Saddington visited her lag lover under a false name in May after he moved prisons
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He was given another two years and three months to serve on top of his original sentence for his part in the sordid affair.
Saddington spoke more of what led her into the relationship with Trengrove.
She claimed to be "broken" and "homeless" after the dad of her two children left her.
The former prison officer said things were "difficult" while struggling in temporary accommodation.
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After reflecting on her ordeal she blamed Trengrove for being "manipulative" and taking advantage of her vulnerable position.
She argued the inmate fed her lies about building a home for them when he was released - which he claimed was in a few months time.
According to the disgraced prison officer, the lag also begged her to have a baby with him.
She claimed he removed her IUD coil himself and she fell pregnant shortly afterwards.
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However, the pregnancy ended in miscarriage.
Saddington alleged Trengrove then threatened to kill himself if he couldn't have a child with her.
"He told me to bring a syringe in and was asking me to to inseminate myself with it, which I was absolutely disgusted by when he said it," she added.
The mum-of-two claimed she never had any intention to follow through with the plan, but did not want her prison lover to harm himself.
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Despite knowing he was a sex offender, the mum-of-two admitted she believed he had been framed for his rape and sexual activity with a minor.
After being told by police the true nature of his crimes, Saddington said she was "shocked", "honestly disgusted", and "ashamed".
This comes after Bournemouth Crown Court heard Saddington started working as a prison officer at
She was given a written warning in 2020 for concerns over her professionalism and interaction with prisoners.
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Her probationary period was extended because she was suspected of having an inappropriate relationship with two prisoners.
The court heard the mother-of-three saved Trengrove's name in her mobile under "husband to be".
Robert Bryan, prosecuting, read out some gushing messages the prison officer sent Trengrove stating he was "the one", that she would love him "til my last breath" and he was her "reason for living".
Mr Bryan said: "He said things moved on from being friendly in August-September 2022.
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"He said, 'I did maintenance work around the prison, there were lots of workshops, we would meet down at the workshops where less people were around.
"'It got to the point she was coming in for work on days off and we would work together for three or four hours at a time.'
"He said they had unprotected sex 30-40 times. She told him in November she was pregnant with his baby.
"He encouraged her to be less risky but she said that would mean less opportunity to meet.
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"She lost the baby at about eight weeks."
Trengrove was moved to HMP Channings Wood in Devon in March 2023.
Sadddington sent Trengrove intimate photos while he was at Channings Wood, but these were intercepted by staff.
On May 26 she visited him under a false name.
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During a pat down search officers found she was not wearing any underwear and had the empty syringe in her bra and she was arrested.
Emily Cook, defending Saddington, argued that her client shouldn't be jailed due to her ill health.
She said: "She had this incredibly devastating physical event that has occurred since her offending.
"In February 2024, her then partner awoke to find her on the floor. She doesn't know how but something was going on with her spine.
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"She is wheelchair-dependent. She has had her liberty curtailed for many months, not by the court but by her ill health.
"You can see from the messaging, they formed a very intense and infatuated relationship. She takes full responsibility for what she did. She is very ashamed and upset.
"You are not sentencing the woman who committed these offences, she's a very different woman now."
Nick Robinson, defending Trengrove, said it was a "genuine infatuation", he was not corrupting her.
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He said: "Everything was driven towards having conversation with someone he genuinely cared about.
"Before this he was a good prisoner, working hard towards the earliest possible release.
"He knew what he was doing, his heart ruled his head."
Judge Jonathan Fuller KC told Saddington: "The prison service expects the highest standards from their employees.
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"Failure to apply those standards can have an enormous and lasting impact on the prisons, the care of inmates, the integrity which is to be maintained and, of course, public confidence.
"Your betrayal of that trust represents a serious and prolonged misconduct by someone in public office.
"I am mindful of your current physical state and pending rehabilitation. For that reason only I reduce the sentence in order to suspend it.
"Had it not been for the accident that befell Miss Austin-Saddington the sentence would have been an immediate sentence of imprisonment."
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He added: "The intensity of their feelings towards each other, as shown in the messages, could perhaps be described as mutual obsession with each other.
"The expressed intention was that they should spend the rest of their lives together.
"This was a relationship of equal halves, both making the wrong decision."
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She claimed her inmate lover manipulated her when she was "broken" and "homeless"
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Saddington started working as a prison officer at The Verne in July 2019
Credit: BNPS