Love-struck Prison Officer and Prisoner prosecuted for misconduct by Robert Bryan

Corrupt clandestine relationship at HMP The Verne

A besotted female prison officer, Cherrie-Ann Austin Saddington, was prosecuted by Robert Bryan for misconduct in public office for engaging in a full sexual relationship with a serving male prisoner, Bradley Trengrove. Additional counts related to the passing of two mobile phones to him, his use of a third phone to send extensive messages between them and his encouragement of her to provide mobile phone top-ups.  In the Spring of 2023, some 6 months or so after the relationship began, Trengrove was moved from HMP The Verne to HMP Channings Wood.  During those 6 months Trengrove was to tell Police that they had had sex 30 to 40 times and included occasions when she came into work on her days off in order to see him.  This lead, he had been told, to her becoming pregnant and her showing him a positive pregnancy test.  Unbeknown to him she tried to send him sexually explicit images of herself, but these were filtered out by prison security at HMP Channings Wood.  The pair were arrested in May 2023 as she tried to visit him using an assumed identity; it was apparent that she was intending to impregnate herself during that visit.

Unusual prosecution of a prisoner

It is unusual to prosecute a prisoner for intentionally encouraging or assisting in the commission of misconduct in public office, but such was the extent of the communication and the nature of the relationship between the two that the Crown, having been advised by Robert Bryan, proceed also against Trengrove. The prosecution was able to establish he knew Austin-Saddington  was the holder of a public office, her conduct amounted to wilful misconduct and that her misconduct was so serious as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust in her.

Sentencing

Sentencing the pair at Bournemouth Crown Court the Judge, His Honour Judge Fuller KC, agreed with the Prosecution that the pair’s culpability was high notwithstanding that the offending was limited to the two. She could not have known what criminality the phones could have been used for once inside the prison estate. He agreed that custody threshold was significantly passed; it was only her significant and debilitating medical condition that had arisen since her offending which meant that she was unlikely to receive the appropriate care in prison that prevented her receiving an immediate sentence of imprisonment.  Trengrove’s sentence of imprisonment was made consecutive to the Extended Sentence he is serving for sexual offences.

Prosecution team

Robert was instructed by Andrew Eddy of CPS Wessex Complex Case Unit, the case having been investigated by South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).

Press coverage

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About the Barrister

Robert Bryan was called to the bar in 1992. He is ranked in Band 2 Crime, Chambers UK Bar 2025, and as ‘Leading Junior’ Tier 2 in The Legal 500 2025.  Robert’s practice covers a wide spectrum of serious crime including homicide, sex-offending, serious fraud and drug conspiracies.

To instruct Robert, contact his clerks, Steve McCarthy or Amie Harris on 020 7404 1881.