Leyland prison officer jailed for relationship with inmate who was serving sentence for murder at HMP Garth

Olivia Hodgson, 26, of Hawthorn Avenue, Preston, has been sentenced to eight months for misconduct in a public office after pursuing a relationship with a prisoner in Leyland.

She had been working at HMP Garth since 2017 and started a relationship with Lavarne Forde-Morgan in early 2020, using mobile phones she had smuggled into prison to communicate with him.

In January 2021, Forde-Morgan, 28, was transferred to another prison, where he was subjected to a cell search following intelligence received to the prison.

A mobile phone was recovered that showed he had been in touch with another mobile number, later found to belong to Hodgson.

On July 30, 2021, Hodgson was arrested at HMP Garth and her home address was searched.

Officers seized another mobile phone which contained images of the pair, as well as a birthday card addressed to Hodgson which had Forde-Morgan's fingerprints on it.

Forde-Morgan, who is serving a sentence for murder, admitted to possessing prohibited mobile phones and was jailed for an additional 18 months.

Who is Lavarne Forde-Morgan and why is he in prison?

Lavarne Forde-Morgan was just 16 when he was jailed for a minimum of 18 years in 2011 for his role in the shooting of a man in south east London.

He was part of a six man gang jailed for life for shooting dead a man described in court as a "peacemaker" with a Winchester pump action shotgun.

Ezra Mills, 22, was shot in the chest at point blank range in an alleyway in the Gipsy Hill area of London in March 2010.

The Old Bailey heard he may have been shot after trying to smooth over trouble between a friend and some of the defendants after earlier gunfire.

All six, who were found guilty of murder, were convicted on joint venture as it was not proved who fired the fatal shot.

Forde-Morgan was also convicted of a second firearms offence – possessing a shotgun and firearm with intent to endanger life.

The judge lifted an anonymity order on Forde-Morgan because of his age at the time at the end of the trial.

Judge Jeremy Roberts said he was frustrated none of the six had admitted who fired the gun nor given evidence in court.

"Has not the time come for the person who pulled the trigger to stop this nonsense and save the others?" he asked.

"Olivia knew right from wrong and she will now face the consequences of her actions” say police

DC Becky Pearson from the North-West Regional Organised Crime Unit’s Prison Anti-Corruption Unit, said: “Olivia abused her position as a prison officer by choosing to have an inappropriate relationship with an inmate and she will now have to face the consequences of her actions.

“She acted in a calculated manner using a variety of numbers, phones and chat applications to try and evade detection. In doing so, she was able to continue the relationship with Forde-Morgan despite him moving to another prison.

“Olivia knew right from wrong and had received adequate corruption training where she would have gained a good understanding of the criminal outcomes should a relationship be entered into with a prisoner.”

She added: “We will continue to take robust action and investigate any offences which we suspect are taking place in our prisons.

“We want to reassure the honest, dedicated, and hardworking prison staff that we will continue to act against any member of staff who chooses to engage in corrupt activity.

“We encourage anyone who has information about corruption in our prisons to report it.”