- Aleesha Bates sent nude photos and 4,500 messages to the Casanova crook
- Jodie Wilkes admitted ‘inappropriate intercourse’ but said nothing ‘sexual’ happened
Two female prison staff had an inappropriate relationship with an inmate who exchanged thousands of messages with them at the same time, a court heard.
Prison officer Aleesha Bates, 30, sent nude photos to the Casanova thug, saying she “wanted him 24/7.” Jodie Wilkes, 27, admitted to having an ‘inappropriate intercourse’ but claimed nothing ‘sexual’ happened.
Both women met the prisoner at HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale, Bolton Crown Court was told.
Bates was the first to enter into a relationship with the man, who was jailed for drug trafficking and cannot be named for legal reasons, in December 2019, prosecutor Brian Berlyne said.
She fell ‘completely in love’ with the man, sent him X-rated messages and nude photos, and even planned their future together after he was released, the court heard.
Prison officer Aleesha Bates, 30, (pictured) sent nude photos to the Casanova thug and said she ‘wanted him 24/7’, Bolton Crown Court heard. Over a period of seven months, Bates exchanged 4,500 messages and called the inmate regularly
Jodie Wilkes, 27, (pictured) admitted having an ‘inappropriate intercourse’ but claimed nothing ‘sexual’ happened. Both women admitted misconduct in public office at an earlier hearing
Both women met the prisoner at HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale, the court was told
Over a period of seven months, Bates exchanged 4,500 messages and called the inmate regularly. In one message she said: ‘I want you 24/7. I can’t get enough of you. If it were up to me, I’d be on the phone with you any minute.”
The woman’s relationship with the convict came to light after a mobile phone was found in his cell in June 2020. Berlyne said analysis of the handset revealed calls and messages between the inmate and Bates, plus photos of them together.
“The messages contained evidence of an intimate relationship between them, with Miss Bates expressing his love for the prisoner and making plans for after his release,” he said.
“She also sent him sexually explicit images and videos.”
The phone also showed “dozens” of messages to Wilkes, who was an operations support worker and began sending messages to the crook in April 2020.
Both women admitted misconduct in public office at an earlier hearing. Judge Elliot Knopf said Bates had committed a ‘gross breach of trust’.
Sentencing her to two years and eight months in prison, he said: ‘Yes, you were trapped, but he identified you as someone who could be approached and you did not have to accept that approach.’
He spared Wilke’s prison and gave her a twelve-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. She was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work.