Erica Whittingham, a prison worker, sparked a scandal after helping violent robber Michael Seddon break free from jail. The pair started a secret romance while Whittingham worked at HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire. Seddon was serving time for a brutal robbery during which an elderly farmer was tied up and assaulted.
Their illicit relationship continued even after Seddon was moved to HMP Sudbury, an open prison nearby. He secretly used a mobile phone smuggled in to keep in touch with Whittingham.
On 1 October 2019, Seddon made a bold escape by scaling a fence as staff scrambled to stop him. Waiting for him was Whittingham, who sped him away in a getaway car. She drove him to Stoke the next morning, from where Seddon caught a train to Liverpool.
Their cover was blown after suspicious colleagues confronted Whittingham. She confessed, quit her job, and was arrested. Despite the police probe, she met Seddon at least eight more times around the country.
Seddon was finally caught in Bournemouth in March 2020. He received a six-month sentence for escaping lawful custody. Whittingham, of Leigh Lane, Bramshall, Uttoxeter, pleaded guilty to harbouring an escaped prisoner and misconduct in public office. On 10 August, Derby Crown Court sentenced her to three years behind bars.
Police have warned of the risks of prison corruption. Heather Saville from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit’s Regional Prison Intelligence Team said, “This inmate made good his escape thanks, in part, to the assistance of a trusted member of prison staff, tasked to do the absolute opposite.”
She added, “Erica Whittingham then continued her relationship with Seddon, irrespective of the police investigation, something the judge has clearly not looked too favourably upon today.”
“We work hard with the Prison Service to root out corruption. This case shows how far some will go to help dangerous offenders roam free.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
