A jail officer who was caught in a police chase with an escaped convict she was having an affair with has described her time in jail as like "being on a faculty journey with my mates." Chloe Jones was travelling from Manchester with Philip King, who escaped jail after being locked up for housebreaking and theft, once they turn into concerned in a high-speed pursuit.
The previous custody officer had began working at Altcourse jail the place King was serving his sentence - with the pair quickly changing into concerned in a relationship. King was then transferred to HMP Sudbury close to Derby on July 18, 2017, nonetheless the couple used a contraband cell phone to maintain involved.
They despatched greater than 3,000 messages to one another over the following 46 days. King then escaped from HMP Sudbury and was invited by Jones to remain at her household house in Kirkby, Manchester Night Information studies.
She additionally allowed the needed inmate to make use of her automobile whereas they remained in a relationship. King continued to work as a jail officer at HMP Altcourse throughout this time period and selected to not inform her employers about her associate.
King later drove Jones' Ford Fiesta to the scene of a housebreaking. The subsequent day King and Jones have been concerned in a police pursuit. Final month Jones, speaking to podcast I Kidd You Not , spoke about how she turned concerned with King whereas working at Altcourse.
She stated: "We used to see one another round and say hello and no matter. He was strolling round together with his prime on ."
Jones advised the present that she solely started a correct relationship with King after he escaped from jail. Jones advised presenter Joe Kidd she travelling again from Manchester with King in a stolen automobile once they turned concerned in police pursuit.
Jones defined how King stopped the stolen automobile and advised her to run. She stated: "I left my footwear, my bag, my cellphone, every thing. I used to be following him, operating after him. After which the bizzie simply scooped me up and threw me within the bizzie van."
Though Jones was arrested after the police pursuit, she was not charged with an offence. Jones was launched underneath investigation and re-arrested in October 2018 and charged.
She later admitted misconduct in a public workplace and was handed a 15-month jail sentence. She stated: "A 12 months later [the police] barged in my mum's home with sniffer canine and all that. I used to be laughing and my my mum was like 'what are you laughing at.'"
Jones stated that the police thought they've discovered costly jewelry and watches in the home. She stated: "They have been like 'sure twenty 5 grand watch' and I used to be pondering no mate they're value seventy quid."
Jones advised that her induction to Styal jail in Cheshire was an uncommon expertise. She stated: "They walked me down and I believed I'm going to jail so its going to be a wing. However then they took me all the way down to an quaint home. I felt like I used to be on a faculty journey with my mates."
Jones stated that when she was moved to a Drake Corridor jail in Staffordshire employees needed to put her on a particular wing for her personal safety as a result of she was a former jail officer. She stated: "I used to be like no its advantageous I acquired on with all the ladies at Styal its advantageous."
In 2020, David Watson, prosecuting, advised Liverpool Crown Court docket how Jones struck up an inappropriate relationship with the convict after she was in day by day contact with him. Nicola Daley, representing Jones, defined she was genuinely remorseful for her actions, and had solely been a jail officer for about six months when she was "blinded by love".
In a letter to the choose, Ms Daley defined that her shopper expressed real regret, specifically for the disgrace she had introduced upon her household. King was ordered to serve one other 36-month jail sentence consecutive to his earlier sentence.
After Jones was jailed Detective Inspector Daybreak Hampson from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit stated: "Chloe Jones abused her place as a jail officer by selecting to have an inappropriate relationship with an inmate and she's going to now must face the results of her actions. We'll proceed to take sturdy motion and examine any offences which we suspect are going down in our prisons.'
Director of HMP Altcourse Steve Williams stated: "We count on the very best requirements of conduct from our employees and won't tolerate behaviour that undermines the nice work of our colleagues. If we suspect wrongdoing, we'll all the time share intelligence with the police and different companies. I might prefer to thank my group and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit for his or her exemplary work."
Do not miss the most recent information from round Scotland and past - Signal as much as our day by day publication right here.