HMP Kirkham prison worker shared love letters with Runcorn inmate

Cheryl Hindle, 44, was working at HMP Kirkham when she shared love letters and discussed future plans with Dean Holmes, 30, who was serving a 10-year prison sentence for aggravated burglary.

Hindle, from Accrington, was due to be sentenced alongside Runcorn man Holmes on September 17 but the hearing was adjourned after hearing statements from the prosecution and the defence due to the court running out of time.

In the period between then and the re-scheduled hearing on Wednesday, October 16, it transpired Hindle had spent most of that time in the USA having become distressed over the court proceedings.

This was despite the court hearing before that she was the sole carer for her children and for her parents.

Hindle and Holmes’ relationship began at HMP Kirkham, where the former worked in a role supporting and advising inmates on employment, education, and careers upon their release.

HMP Kirkham (Image: NQ)

Holmes had been advised by Hindle during his stay at the prison between September 2021 and May 2022.

Concerns were raised within the prison that Hindle had been acting inappropriately towards Holmes, with staff noticing she had been spending more time with him and staying late for no legitimate reason.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting at the first hearing, said in preparation for his release Holmes was booked to take an employment-related exam at a test centre approximately 20 miles from the prison, on May 13, 2022.

Hindle’s manager asked her to arrange for a prison driver, but a rail release was granted instead with one unavailable. However, it soon transpired that Hindle had taken Holmes to the examination herself in her own vehicle.

Analysis of Hindle’s work phone showed they had travelled to the exam centre for Holmes to complete the test before then travelling along the M65 to Accrington, where they remained for around an hour and a half.

Mr Parker said Hindle accepted they were in an address in Accrington together.

Due to the concerns about inappropriate contact between the pair, Holmes was transferred to HMP Lancaster Farms on May 19, 2022.

Four days later, Holmes added Hindle’s personal mobile phone number to a list of contacts he could call on the prison phone system, stating she was a friend.

One of the calls showed evidence that they had been together on a previous occasion, with Holmes telling Hindle that he had liked the design of her mother’s house.

Hindle told Holmes it would be ‘their future house.’

Between May 23 and June 11 of the same year, there were 25 phone calls between the pair totalling around four hours.

On June 6, 2022, Hindle visited Lancaster Farms with no legitimate reason to do so and no authorisation to do so.

Holmes also requested for Hindle to check his prison file on the computer system.

On June 13, 2022, she was suspended from HMP Kirkham and when her belongings were searched, letters between the two were found where they expressed their love for each other.

Hindle made admissions in police interview and accepted she had “made mistakes.”

James Sullivan, mitigating for Hindle, said his client has worked hard “to improve her lot” and was a “valued member of the prison service” which made her offending “all the more inexplicable.”

Kevin Liston, for Holmes, said his client had no “physical input” into the logistics of the car journey but did nothing to oppose what was being suggested.

Hindle, of Sultan Street, Accrington, pleaded guilty to one count of wilfully neglecting to perform duty.

Holmes, of Hedge Hey, Runcorn, pleaded guilty to one count of encouraging or assisting in the commission of an indictable-only offence.

Sentencing at the hearing on Wednesday (October 16), Judge Graham Knowles said: “You, Holmes, had an exam at an external test centre and the plan was you would be driven there by an appropriate person. You, Hindle, knew about it and you extended the licence by around two-and-a-half hours purely for your own purposes, and his.

Preston Crown Court Sessions House (Image: Archive)

“You drove him, that was totally contrary to every conceivable rule and it would have been expressly forbidden had you asked for permission to do it.

“This was meant to be a secret between the two of you.

“It was a serious breach of the order and discipline of the prison.

“It’s entirely clear the two of you were in a romantic relationship, whether there was any physical contact or not.”

Addressing Hindle, the Judge said: “You are a liar and a hypocrite. I reject the idea there is any real remorse.”

Hindle was jailed for four months while Holmes received a three-month sentence.