'Flirtatious' Kirkham Open Prison librarian sexually assaulted two inmates and had sex with another in library

A "flirtatious" prison librarian sexually assaulted two inmates in the jail's library after having an alleged sexual relationship with a third convict, a court heard yesterday.

Sharon Mawdsley, 46, worked in the library at the Kirkham open prison and used her position to commit six separate sex attacks on two prisoners in the library.

Prosecutor David Bentley told Preston Crown Court that Mawdsley had been "very open and explicit about her own sexual activities" when talking to inmates in the library.

One of the alleged victims said that Mawdsley behaved "like an animal" when sexually touching him and had boasted of attending swingers' parties and having lesbian sex in front of her husband.

She had also asked inmates about their sexual preferences and whether they watched pornography

Mr Bentley told the court: "She used her position to sexually abuse the two complainants within the library environment for her own sexual gratification."

Mr Bentley told the jury that Mawdsley, from Blackpool was employed by Lancashire County Council and worked 10 hours a week as a part time library assistant from May 2017 after going through a security clearance vetting process.

He said "Kirkham prison is an open prison and therefore has minimal security with eligible prisoners allowed time away from their cells for work, education and re settlement courses.

"Mawdsley sometimes worked alongside prisoners and sometimes until 7.30 in the evening or on Saturday mornings."

He said that in July 2018 the library manager, Sarah Fleming, noticed "whispered discussions" between two inmates.

Mr Bentley said:" When challenged, they told Miss Fleming that Mawdsley was having an inappropriate sexual relationship within the library with a prisoner.

"The rumours were that she was having sex within the library and the prisoners feared that they could be transferred out of the open prison to a closed prison."

He said that Ms Fleming told the prison's head of security Graham Bristow who spoke to four prisoners.

Mr Bentley said: "They said that Mawdsley normally appeared to be very professional but when she was working alone in the library in the evening she became flirtatious and sexual and had made advances toward them.

"It was felt that the prisoners had not provided specific details of the advances through fear that they would be moved to a closed prison.

He said that Mr Bristow ordered the immediate transfer of the prisoner to another prison and a search of his cell revealed an iPhone in a laundry bag along with a piece of paper with Mawdsley's name and personal details.

The deputy governor of the jail, Neil Wherrier , gave Mawdsley an "exclusion order " and she was told not to come to work.

The following week there was a meeting at Lancashire County Council at County Hall in Preston to consider the allegations.

Mawdsley admitted at the meeting to providing her phone number to the prisoner, engaging in unauthorised telephone conversations and text messages with a prisoner and being aware that a serving prisoner had an unauthorised mobile phone without reporting it to the authorities.

She was told that the police would be informed and she was dismissed from her job on July 26.

Mr Bentley said that the first complainant told the prison chaplain about the alleged assaults and the chaplain recalled the inmate being "anxious and very concerned."

The prosecutor said: "The inmate said a member of staff had sexually assaulted him and had come on to him. He said that she had grabbed the private parts of other inmates and had behaved like an animal."

Mr Bentley said that the inmate had told probation officer Kelly Baker that Mawdsley had sexually assaulted him on numerous occasions.

The prosecutor said: "He said she was very open about her personal life and was sexually explicit about her own activities and what she liked to do. She asked them about their sexual preferences and whether they watched porn.

"He found it uncomfortable but this did not dissuade her. He felt that the more uncomfortable she made him feel, the more the more attractive and more arousing it became.

Mr Bentley said the second complainant claimed that Mawdsley was usually "very professional" but when she was the only member of staff on duty "she completely changed into someone else who spoke in a highly sexualised and crude manner."

He added: "He recalls the highly sexualised subject matter that she would discuss in the library. She would talk about having swinger parties, lesbian sex in front of her husband and was involved in group sex."

The court heard that Mawdsley told the police that she denied the allegations and did not find either of the complainants "remotely attractive".

The first complainant told the court in evidence that Mawdsley's actions had made him "uncomfortable".

He said that her relationship with a fellow prisoner was well known in the prison and that he had interrupted Mawdsley and the prisoner sitting at a desk in the prison library with his hand up Mawdsley's skirt.

Mawdsley denies six counts of sexual assault by touching - four against one inmate and two against another. She pleaded guilty to one charge of misconduct in a public office at an earlier hearing.

The trial continues.