A prison tutor’s affair with an inmate was rumbled when another member of staff tried to enter their classroom only to find it locked from the inside.
Melissa Murphy’s letters to the prisoner along with a photo of him she kept in her bedroom were found when police searched her home in Chelmsford, Essex.
Murphy, formerly Melissa O’Brien, had worked at HMP Chelmsford for four years.
The 48-year-old first met the inmate in the summer of 2023 and claimed she received the first letter from the prisoner in November the same year.
Instead of reporting the contact, Murphy replied and the two exchanged several letters suggesting they had begun a relationship, police said.
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Concerns were raised when another member of prison staff tried to enter a classroom that just Murphy and the prisoner were in, only to find the door locked from the inside and her keys removed from her person.
Her role required her keys to stay attached to her person at all times to prevent any prisoners accessing these and potentially escaping.
After this incident was reported, Murphy was arrested and further letters detailing their exchanges were discovered at her home address, as well as a photo of the prisoner in her bedroom.
Murphy was first arrested on December 11 2023 and her role as a teacher helping train those at HMP Chelmsford for employment after their release was terminated.
She was charged via postal requisition on February 12, 2025, and on November 28, at a hearing in Chelmsford Crown Court, she pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in a public office.
Detective Constable Becky Sparrow, the officer in the case, said: ‘Murphy abused a position of trust by forming this inappropriate relationship.
‘By definition, anyone held in prison is in a vulnerable position. It is crucial staff and prison officers do not put those they are required to help in positions such as this – she potentially put both of them at risk of harm through these actions.
‘We now wait to hear what sentence the courts will pass.’
DC Sparrow added: ‘The integrity of everyone working within the criminal justice system is required to keep prisoners and the public safe.
‘By entering into this relationship, Murphy compromised that integrity, exploited a vulnerable man and left herself open to exploitation too.
‘We worked closely with the security department and staff at HMP Chelmsford throughout this investigation to ensure this case was as strong as possible, and left her with no option but to plead guilty.’
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