A prison officer, Megan Breen, has refuted claims of engaging in an “inappropriate relationship” with an unnamed inmate across two Gwent jails, HMP Usk and HMP Prescoed.

At Cardiff Crown Court, Breen, 21, pleaded not guilty to charges of misconduct in a public office and unauthorised computer access. The allegations suggest that, while serving as a prison officer, Breen’s actions constituted an abuse of public trust by allegedly involving herself in a relationship with a prisoner. The second charge pertains to unauthorised access to computer programs or data.

Reportedly occurring between February and May 2022, the alleged incidents led to Breen, hailing from Newport, being granted bail until a trial provisionally set for November of the current year.

HMP Usk, a category C prison housing 280 inmates, operates jointly with the open prison HMP Prescoed. This development comes on the heels of another recent scandal involving two female prison officers, Aleesha Bates, 29, and Jodie Wilkes, 27, who admitted to simultaneous affairs with the same inmate, Michael Cronshaw, while employed at HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale.