A former prison cashier wept as she was jailed for having a sexual relationship with an inmate who had bragged about their illicit fling before a fellow convict reported them.
Remorseful Yolanda Briggs, 52, from Boston, Lincolnshire, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and was given an eight-month sentence at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday.
Briggs, who had worked in the prison service for a 24 years, had sex with Allan Collins in the staff mess at HMP North Sea Camp men's open prison in Freiston on several occasions in 2024.
She even met up with him while he was out on day release and took him to her home for an intimate session.
The court heard that Briggs was flattered by the attention she received from the prisoner, who is four years her junior and made her 'feel wanted and alive.'
She was caught out after the prisoner bragged to fellow convicts about their affair, prosecutor Connor Stuart told the court.
However, despite her prosecution the pair have maintained their relationship and plan to be together when they are both finally freed.
The hearing, during which the defendant sobbed throughout, was told she still sent her lover money to help and support him.
Former prison cashier Yolanda Briggs, 52, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and was given an eight-month sentence at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday after entering into a sexual affair with an inmate.
The admin worker quit her job the moment her inappropriate behaviour was exposed and she confessed immediately when confronted by the prison deputy governor.
Collins, 48, remains behind bars at the men's Category D open prison, where disgraced author and ex politician Jeffrey Archer spent some of his sentence for perjury and perverting the course of justice for lying during his 1987 libel trial.
Collins is serving six years with a two-year extension, totalling eight years, for false imprisonment of a male victim and stealing from an employee.
He has previous convictions in 2014 for assault causing actual bodily harm, battery and robbery.
He is due for a Parole Board hearing in December.
Briggs' defence lawyer Claire Holmes told the court that her client had lost her job, her income and her friends after her illegal affair came to light.
She implored Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight to give the defendant a suspended sentence, saying: 'She's lost her good character, her job and earnings, her friends.
'Once she was confronted she was frank. She is full of remorse and emotion. It has cost her dearly.'
'Her sexual relationship with the prisoner was not in exchange for anything. She did not bring anything into the prison for him; there was no financial gain for her.
'She has genuine affection for him and the fact their relationship is continuing into the future shows this.
'He made her feel wanted and alive.'
'She knows she did wrong; it was an error of judgment she will never repeat again.'
Briggs suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome - a compression of the nerve in the wrist - and had an operation scheduled for next week, her lawyer said.
The court heard that despite Ms Briggs' prosecution, the pair have maintained their relationship and plan to be together when they are both finally freed.
The defendant, wearing large round rimmed glasses, and dressed in a white blouse with ruffled front and dark trousers, spoke only to confirm her name and enter her guilty plea.
She looked stoney-faced and tearful throughout the 45-minute hearing as she sat in the glass-backed dock and with a security guard keep offering her tissues and cups of water.
Brigg's pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office between May 31, 2024 and September 19, 2924 by having a sexual relationship with prisoner Allan Collins.
The prosecutor said the defendant had worked at the prison in an administrative role for the past 10 years and had been a cashier in the business hub for the latter two years.
In July 2024 'concerns were raised about her behaviour in the staff mess.'
Mr Stuart said: 'She was going onto the mess and returning with food and drink she had not paid for and an investigation was launched.'
He continued: 'It emerged that she was having sex with a prisoner Allan Collins and the couple were caught kissing in that staff mess.'
'The defendant also booked off a day leave to coincide with the prisoners’s day release from the open prison.
'During that time she took him to her home where they had sex.'
Briggs - who is on previous good behaviour with no previous convictions - had 'not been manipulated' by the prisoner and they is no evidence he has 'been harmed by the relationship.'
The prosecutor told the hearing that the prisoner had been 'bragging about his relationship' with the staff worker and one of the inmates had sent an anonymous message to the Board of Governors exposing it.
On September 19 last year Briggs 'immediately admitted to a sexual relationship with Collins' when approached by the deputy governor and resigned her post.
The following month she 'repeated a full confession to police.'
The judge told the tearful defendant - who appeared to have no support by family of friends in the public gallery - that there was 'no excuse' for her behaviour and she had abused her position of trust.
She told the defendant: 'Staff at North Sea Camp have a huge responsibility to prepare prisoners for release, and even in administration you have a responsibility, be it a lesser level.
'Engaging in a sexual relationship with a prisoner completely undermines the regime and the public trust in the prison system.
'You were not a prison officer but you knew where the boundaries were.'
'North Sea helps prisoners transition to life on the outside. It has a more relaxed environment but there is no excuse for your behaviour.'
'You remain in a relationship with this prisoner and you intend to continue this relationship on your release, and you send him money.'
'You have worked in the prison service for 24 years, at HMP Leicester for 14 years before.'
'I am sentencing you to eight months immediate imprisonment and you will serve up to half before you are released on licence.'