Married prison guard jailed for having sex in cleaning cupboard with murderer serving a life sentence for killing war veteran
A married mother-of-two who worked as a high-security prison officer has been convicted of having sex with a convicted felon in a cleaning cupboard and jailed for 12 months.
Rachel Louise Welburn, now 39, started an 18-month sexual relationship with Daniel Crompton three years ago, when he was still just three years into a life sentence for the brutal 2013 murder of a World War II veteran, according to the Northern Echo. Crompton, 27, had severely beaten 87-year-old Frank Worsley after breaking into his home to search for money to buy drugs. The veteran had sustained critical injuries in the attack and died from a stroke less than three weeks later, following which Crompton had been jailed for life.
He met Welburn in the A-Wing at HMP Frankland, near Durham, where Welburn had worked for close to two decades and was a respected member of the staff. She was 36 at the time and had just returned from maternity leave following the birth of her second child. She had been designated as his personal office, with Robert Patton, prosecuting, telling the Durham Crown Court that the attraction between the two was "instantaneous." He said they immediately declared their love for each other, and that Welburn would send him intimate photographs of herself and letters containing details of her feelings for him.
In February 2018, he said she persuaded Crompton to ask for a transfer to Full Sutton Prison so there would be a lesser chance they would get caught, and even paid him visits despite there being a distinct possibility that she would be recognized. However, the affair became public by the summer when their tryst had cooled, and as "an act of revenge or spite," Crompton told another officer he was having an affair with Welburn.
In the ensuing investigation, Welburn falsely claimed that Crompton had threatened to hurt her husband, a fellow prison officer, and had blackmailed her, raped her and that she was forced to go along with it. She eventually admitted to having consensual sex with Crompton in court, where Joanne Kidd, defending, said her client's shame and regret were beyond measure. She said the 39-year-old had a stressful, high-pressure jo but, was a diligent and caring colleague who and returned to work immediately after maternity leave despite suffering from chronic back pain.
In handing down her 12-month jail sentence, Judge Christopher Prince said he could not suspend the punishment but told Welburn it was still a lot shorter than it could have been. He said it would be "hugely upsetting" for Worsley's friends and family to hear of his murderer having a sexual relationship while he was serving a life term.