Glam jail officer ‘accused of cellphone intercourse’ thought she ‘was going to die’

A jail officer accused of getting “inappropriate relationship” that allegedly included “phone sex” with a prisoner broke down in tears after describing threats he allegedly made towards her, together with ‘harming her cats’.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how Ruth Shmylo claimed she couldn’t have reported the matter of a relationship with Harry Pullen to her employers after being bullied for being a whistleblower, Wales Online reported.

Shmylo, 26, of Pontypridd, allegedly started an “inappropriate relationship” with the inmate whereas she was working as a jail officer and he was a prisoner at HMP Parc in Bridgend. She denies one depend of misconduct in public workplace.

The court docket heard she did not report his advances and actively engaged of their relationship, which concerned cellphone intercourse.

The court docket on Monday (December 18) noticed the defendant give proof about her involvement with Pullen, who was a member of an organised crime gang and had been imprisoned for drug offences.

When requested to explain his behaviour, Shmylo mentioned: “He was really boisterous… Intimidating when you stood in front of him, he had a presence on the wing and he was very erratic… He was banging the door shouting saying he wanted to speak to the governor and staff. He was a handle should we say.”

She mentioned Pullen handed on his quantity to her on a chunk of paper, and later referred to as her on her private cellphone. The defendant mentioned: “I said ‘Why are you doing this?’ I was in a panic, he said ‘I just need to speak to you’….”

“He said ‘I’ve got you now’… That I had no choice because I had answered the phone and if I told anyone he knows it’s going to be me.”

Shmylo mentioned Pullen would name her “continuously” and would threaten different prisoners if she didn’t reply his calls.

She added: “He made threats to actually harm me, if I had a partner he would kill me and them, threatened to come to my house with my family, threatened to hot water my brother in law, to harm my cats, to come to my house.”

When defence barrister Clare Wilks requested if something “sexual or physical” had taken place within the jail, Shmylo mentioned: “No.”

When requested why she hadn’t reported Pullen, the defendant mentioned: “There was no one for me to tell, the senior manager outed me as a whistleblower, staff had no regard for my welfare whatsoever, it would have got back to me. There was no safe option for me to report what he had done.”

Shmylo was additionally questioned about Pullen asking her to go to his mum, who the defendant admits to seeing as soon as.

During questioning on Pullen’s mum, she alleged the inmate made threats when she refused to go see her.

She then broke down in tears and added: “I thought I was going to die.”

The trial continues.