A WOMAN from Warrington has been charged with misconduct in a public office.

The charge alleges that the prison officer formed inappropriate relations with an inmate.

Claire Lloyd will appear in court over an allegation of being a holder of a public office who wilfully neglected to perform her duty or wilfully misconducted herself.

The charge alleges that the 47-year-old, of Clap Gates Crescent in Bewsey, committed the offence between mid-April and the end of September, 2022, in HMP Manchester.

Particulars of the charge allege that, while acting as a public officer in being a prison officer, Lloyd ‘wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted herself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public's trust in the office holder’.

The allegation is that she did so by conducting an inappropriate relationship with a serving prisoner.

Lloyd is due to make a first appearance in relation to the charge before Manchester Magistrates' Court today, Wednesday.

She is due to appear alongside co-defendant Andrew Hall, with the 43-year-old charged with intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an indictable-only offence.

This alleges that Hall, between mid-April and the end of September, 2022, in Manchester, engaged in a relationship with a prison officer that was capable of encouraging or assisting the commission of an indictable only offence, namely misconduct in a public office.

He also faces an allegation of possessing a specified item inside a prison without authority.

This alleges that between the same dates, again in HMP Manchester, commonly referred to as Strangeways, he possessed a mobile phone without authority.

The cases of both defendants are listed for a first appearance before magistrates this afternoon.