A FORMER prison guard has been convicted of having an inappropriate relationship with a female prisoner who is now on the run.

William Sumners, of Clandon Road, Surrey, pleaded guilty to one count of being a ‘holder of a public office who wilfully misconducted himself’ at HMP Send in Surrey.

The 43-year-old, who now works as a parking attendant for a local authority, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment suspended for two years at Reading Crown Court for the relationship which started while the woman was in prison in 2021.

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She has since been released to a ‘halfway house’ to be monitored by probation services but the court heard that she ran away last month and police are unable to locate her.

Prosecuting, Saria Bashir said Sumners accepts he had a personal relationship with the prisoner but denies putting pressure on her to escalate the relationship.

She added that Sumners denies any sexual contact between the pair except for one occasion where they ‘kissed and cuddled’.

The court heard that he sent the woman gifts on Valentines Day including a necklace and a pair of headphones as well as sending her clothes when she transferred prisons.

Defending Sumners, James Oliveira-Agnew said: “Mr Sumners accepts the severity of this offence. He was a prison guard in a position of power, he was trusted by the prison service and is someone the public should have trusted in as well.

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“He’s done the job for a number of years with no problems whatsoever and it was job he enjoyed. This incident has had a profound effect on the prison service as they have lost a prison guard.

“Mr Sumners makes no excuse for his behaviour. He was suffering from mental health issues at the time, he had chronic depression, but of course that does not go in any way towards what his position was and what his responsibilities were.”

Sentencing Sumners, Judge Nicholas Ainley said: “There is a huge power disparity between a prison officer and prisoner, one is in a position of authority which can exercise his will over the other which may leave a prisoner in a helpless position.

“You say you never put any undue pressure on her to develop the relationship but it developed in a mutual infatuation.”

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Sumners, who denies knowing the woman’s whereabouts since she fled from the halfway house, was also sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work.