Prison officer jailed after behind bars affair with convict

05 February 2010

Lisa Harris

A PRISON officer from Romford who had an affair with a cage fighter jailed for an horrific acid attack on model and TV presenter Katie Piper has been jailed for 21 months.

Lisa Harris, 28, sneaked kisses, cuddles and steamy text messages with Daniel Lynch, 33, at Pentonville Prison while he was awaiting trial for raping 25-year-old Ms Piper.

The steroid-addicted thug was on remand for getting a friend to hurl sulphuric acid in the blonde's face and was awaiting trial for sexually attacking her when Harris became intimate with him.

Lynch has since been jailed for life.

Blackfriars Crown Court heard a total of 210 texts and calls went backwards and forwards between the illicit couple over four weeks in February last year.

Passing sentence Judge Aidan Marron told Harris: "You were a prison officer and as such occupied a position of real responsibility in the proper supervision of prisoners.

Judge Marron went on: "It is submitted on your behalf that you were under duress, but I utterly reject that submission. Any cursory reflection on those texts reveal that you were intimate and prepared to do his bidding."

Lynch called Harris his "princess" and the prison officer would end her messages with kisses.

One text message from Harris to Lynch on February 2 read: "I miss you, can't wait to see you and hold you."

Harris also canoodled with Lynch on the landings of the jail.

Exposed

The pair's relationship was exposed when Harris, of Mill Lane, Romford, was caught trying to smuggle her mobile phone into the jail for Lynch on February 27.

But it was not until the calls were traced that prison guards searched Lynch in March and discovered a second phone hidden down his boxer shorts.

It later emerged that the hours after her release on bail Harris had phoned her incarcerated lover to warn him.

Prosecutor Swarma Kodikara said: "This defendant undermined the key purpose of keeping Lynch in custody, which was to minimise as far as possible the risk of Lynch interfering with prosecution witnesses whilst on remand."

Harris admitted three counts of misconduct in a public office, including knowing Lynch had a phone in his cell but not reporting it, engaging in phone contact between January 1 and August 13 last year and attempting to smuggle a phone into the prison on February 27.