A HIGH security prisoner officer, who had sex with a man convicted of murdering a Bolton war veteran, has been jailed for 12 months.

Daniel Crompton, now 27, is serving a life sentence at HMP Frankland in County Durham for the brutal killing of 87-year-old Frank Worsley in 2013.

But it has now emerged that Crompton, who murdered Mr Worsley during a burglary at his Daubhill home, has been having an 18-month affair with one of his warders, Rachel Welburn, at the jail near Durham.

Durham Crown Court heard Crompton was three years into his life sentence and Welburn, who had worked at Frankland for 18 years, had just returned from maternity leave after the birth of her second child.

Jailing Welburn, who admitted misconduct in a public office, Judge Christopher Prince, said it would be “hugely upsetting” for the friends and family of Mr Worsley to hear of him having a sexual relationship while he was serving a life term.

The judge added: “The public do not expect prisoners, irrespective of the offences they have committed, to be engaging in sexual relationships when they should be serving their sentences.”

Crompton was jailed after severely beating Mr Worsley while searching for money to pay for drugs. He confronted Mr Worsley, who had been sleeping, and punched him several times in the face after he refused to give in to his demands for cash.

The war veteran died from a stroke less than three weeks after the attack.

While on A wing at Frankland, Welburn, now 39, had been assigned as Crompton’s designated personal officer.

Robin Patton, prosecuting, said the attraction between him and the officer was “instantaneous”.

He said the pair declared their love for each other, she sent him intimate photographs of herself and letters containing details of her feelings for him.

Last February, she persuaded Crompton to ask for a transfer to Full Sutton Prison to reduce the risk of them being caught, and even visited him there, despite the possibility of being recognised.

But by the summer the relationship cooled and Crompton told an officer he had been having an affair with a female guard in what Mr Patton described as “an act of revenge or spite”.

There was an investigation and when she was challenged, she claimed Crompton had threatened to hurt her husband, a fellow prison officer, had blackmailed her, raped her, and she had to go along with it.

Police wasted time investigating the false claims and she eventually only admitted what she had done at court.

Joanne Kidd, defending, said Welburn’s shame and regret were beyond measure.

She had a stressful, high-pressure job, was a diligent and caring colleague and returned to work after maternity leave while suffering from chronic back pain.

Miss Kidd told the court: "She cannot explain why she behaved in this way."