Prison officer, 30, is jailed after becoming ‘blinded by love’ for fugitive inmate lover who she let stay at her home when he escaped jail
- Chloe Jones, 30, has been jailed after harbouring an escaped convict lover
- Jones struck up a relationship with Philip King while working at HMP Altcourse
- Pair were apprehended after being involved in a police pursuit through Liverpool
A female prison officer has been jailed after becoming ‘blinded by love’ for an inmate lover who she let stay at her home when he escaped jail.
Chloe Jones, 30, struck up an inappropriate relationship with Philip King after starting work at HMP Altcourse in Liverpool.
The pair became lovers after Jones came into daily contact with King, who had been jailed in June 2016 for theft and burglary.
Though he was transferred to HMP Sudbury near Derby, they swapped over 3,000 texts on an illicit mobile phone over 46 days.
After King escaped from jail on September 1, 2017, Jones harboured the convict and allowed him to stay at her parents’ home and use her car.
There is no suggestion that Jones helped King escape.
Jones and King remained in a relationship for about three months, during which time she never stated his whereabouts to her employers.
Prison officer Chloe Jones, 30, has been jailed after becoming ‘blinded by love’ for an inmate lover who she let stay at her home when he escaped jail
Liverpool Crown Court heard the pair were apprehended after they were involved in a police pursuit through Kirkby and Liverpool in November 2017.
Jones initially gave officers a fake name for King, calling him Paul Jones and claiming that they had met on online dating app Tinder.
But when interviewed the next day, she admitted that she had known King for a few months and was in a relationship with him.
King was apprehended in November 2017 and later pleaded guilty to escaping from custody, aggravated vehicle taking and driving while disqualified.
He was sentenced on December 15, 2017 and is now serving a 36 month prison sentence consecutive to his previous sentence.
King has also been charged with a burglary alleged to have taken place on November 1, 2017 on Bailey Way, which he denies.
Jones struck up a relationship with Philip King after starting work at HMP Altcourse, Liverpool
Jones was re-arrested in October 2018 and later charged.
Nicola Daley, mitigating, said Jones was remorseful for her actions, and had only been a prison officer for about six months when she was ‘blinded by love’.
Jones was sentenced to 15 months in prison by Judge Neil Flewitt, QC.
Judge Flewitt also acknowledged the time delay of two years, accepting one year was the result of a complex investigation, but said he found it ‘difficult to fathom’ why it didn’t make it any further.
He noted that ‘politics between police forces’ were a reason given, with one unit in charge of the investigation having been disbanded for eight months.
However, Judge Flewitt said the delay did not serve the public interest.
Jones will also pay a victim surcharge.
Outside court, Detective Inspector Dawn Hampson from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit said: ‘Chloe Jones abused her position as a prison officer by choosing to have an inappropriate relationship with an inmate and she will now have to face the consequences of her actions. We will continue to take robust action and investigate any offences which we suspect are taking place in our prisons.’
Director of HMP Altcourse Steve Williams said: ‘We expect the highest standards of conduct from our staff and will not tolerate behaviour that undermines the good work of our colleagues. If we suspect wrongdoing, we will always share intelligence with the police and other agencies. I’d like to thank my team and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit for their exemplary work.’