A prison officer who fell pregnant after beginning a relationship with an inmate during his temporary release from custody has escaped a jail sentence.
Sarah Barnett, 33, worked as operational support staff at HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire when she became involved with prisoner Scott Taylor in August 2023.
She pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office at an earlier hearing at Derby Crown Court.
Appearing for sentencing on Thursday, Barnett received a two-year community order requiring her to complete 25 rehabilitation activity days.
Sarah Barnett, 33, worked as operational support staff at HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire
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Judge Shaun Smith determined that imposing custody would be “pointless” given the sentence would amount to roughly two months after credit for her guilty plea.
He told Barnett: “You have complex needs and issues that need addressing.”
The court heard that Taylor was among the prisoners Barnett supervised between late July and early August 2023 while she worked in the industrial cleaning workshop.
He was granted resettlement overnight release on August 12, designed to ease his transition back into society before his full release.
She pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office at an earlier hearing at Derby Crown Court
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PA
Prosecutor Philip Cowburn told the court that Taylor sent Barnett his phone number that day, and the pair arranged to meet in Kidderminster.
They spent the nights of August 12 and 13 together whilst he remained technically a prisoner.
Following Taylor’s full release on August 23, he was recalled to custody on September 15 but continued staying at Barnett’s address.
When police finally arrested him on October 3, Barnett initially denied any relationship before revealing she was six weeks pregnant with his child.
Taylor was released from HMP Sudbury on August 23, but was recalled just weeks later
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Mark Nicholls, defending, told the court that Barnett had experienced mental health difficulties since childhood and had submitted documentation to her employers stating she was unfit for work.
Despite this, she wished to continue in her role as it “helped her” and requested a prisoner-facing position.
Her request was denied, and instead she was assigned to a workshop alongside just one colleague who later went on long-term sick leave.
This left Barnett solely responsible for supervising 58 inmates.
Mr Nicholls argued this situation rendered her “vulnerable to corruption.”
A subsequent review revealed that throughout her six years of employment, Barnett had received no corruption awareness training whatsoever.
Her barrister added that she experienced suicidal thoughts in September due to workplace stress, and the Rugeley resident was no longer employed.
Judge Smith acknowledged that the prison service had failed to adequately support Barnett despite her well-documented mental health struggles.
He said: “When one takes into account your mental health at the time, which is not only well-chronicled but in writing and there for the prison to see and accommodate, they did the opposite, and you were put in situations where you were clearly inexperienced and untrained.”
The judge noted that over an 11-day period in August 2023, Barnett had “thrown away” both her good character and a career spanning six years.
However, he observed that her misconduct was “restricted in a way which had no impact on other prisoners, or the smooth running of the prison.”
The court also heard that Barnett had since lost the baby but was pregnant again with Taylor’s child, though the couple had separated.