Prison guard who wrote love notes to lag miscarried his child after he was launched

A female prison officer who exchanged “immature messages of “undying love” to drugs offender miscarried his baby following his release.

Jessica McCleary was spared jail after she had an illicit romance with lag Levi Weekes at HMP Berwyn, near Wrexham, Wales.

The pair abstained from sex while Weekes was behind bars, only sealing the deal after his release. The relationship ended however, after McCleary fell pregnant but then miscarried.

READ MORE: Teen ‘nerd’ made ‘printed gun’ from bedroom kitted out with Nazi posters

Click here for the latest headlines from the Daily Star.

The mum-of-one and law graduate had been a prison officer at HMP Berwyn for six years Mold Crown Court heard. However she was going to be fired for “poor performance” in September 2023.

McCleary, 29, admitted misconduct in a public office between October 25 and November 24 by having an “inappropriate” relationship in her work place. She acknowledged that she had been seeing Weekes regularly in his cell and that they had feelings for each other. She was also stopped from bringing a USB stick into prison.

Prosecutor Catherine Elvin told the court: “She admitted while serving her notice period relating to dismissal that relationship had progressed and since October 26 they had shared notes and love messages.”

These notes were discovered in Weekes’ cell, McCleary’s car and a hotel where she was living at the time. She was also found to have been in regular contact with the lag on the prison messaging service. The messaging continued after her arrest, while not at work.

Elvin continued: “She stated she intended to maintain the relationship with Levi Weekes despite her dismissal and his subsequent transfer.

Defence barrister John Wyn Williams said: “This case was an exchange of fairly immature text messages expressing undying love for each other.”

He told the the court that McCleary had suffered a “difficult childhood” and had shown remorse. He added: “She had been dismissed and the irony is Levi Weekes terminated their relationship following her disclosure that she had miscarried their child.”

Judge Rhys Rowlands said McClearly had put her own interests first when she visited Weekes daily during a five week period, and said she had “let down your colleagues and forgot your responsibilities to your child”.

The judge accepted McCleary had been diagnosed previously with PTSD and depression and said she acted with “a degree of naivety” whereas Weekes was “manipulative”.

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.