A shocking new book claims a female prison officer engaged in sexual relationships with notorious serial killer Levi Bellfield and several other serious criminals at HMP Wakefield, a high-security prison known as ‘Monster Mansion’.
According to the book, Inside Wakefield Prison: Life Behind Bars in the Monster Mansion, authored by Jonathan Levi and Emma French, the warden was involved in intimate relationships with multiple inmates and was eventually dismissed after settling down with one. The revelations come from a pen pal of Bellfield, who detailed the officer’s activities within the prison.
HMP Wakefield houses some of the country’s most dangerous offenders, with nearly two-thirds incarcerated for severe sexual offences. The prison’s notorious inmates include John Worboys, also known as the black cab rapist and paedophile Ian Watkins.
Levi Bellfield, a former bouncer, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 for the brutal hammer murders of Amelie Delagrange, 22, Marsha McDonnell, 19, and the attempted murder of 18-year-old Kate Sheedy. In 2011, Bellfield was also found guilty of murdering 13-year-old schoolgirl Milly Dowler in 2002.
The book also reveals that Bellfield has been creating and gifting disturbing artwork and cards to fellow inmates, including Worboys. His designs range from cartoonish depictions of police officers to more innocuous images of teddy bears and flowers, tailored for prisoners to send to their loved ones.
Another startling claim in the book is that ‘Dr Death‘ Harold Shipman acted as an informal GP for other inmates. Shipman was convicted in 2000 of murdering 15 patients, though his actual death toll is estimated at around 250. Despite the Ministry of Justice’s insistence that Shipman never provided medical advice to other prisoners, former prison officer Martin Baker recounts inmates speaking of Shipman’s unofficial medical consultations.
Shipman committed suicide in 2004, hanging himself with strips of bedding. A subsequent review concluded that prison staff could not have foreseen or prevented his death, though the book suggests at least two officers were aware of his intentions.
HMP Wakefield also houses other infamous criminals such as Roy Whiting, the child sex killer who kidnapped and murdered Sarah Payne in 2000, and former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins, who was convicted of multiple child sex offences. Whiting is particularly despised even among his fellow inmates, facing frequent attacks and living in constant fear for his life.
Charles Bronson, another notorious inmate, is described in the book as behaving like a spoiled child. Bronson, who is held in solitary confinement due to threats from other prisoners, was involved in a violent altercation with killer Robert Donaldson. Bronson reportedly defended himself with a series of punches when Donaldson attempted to attack him.
The book paints a disturbing picture of life inside HMP Wakefield, revealing the complex and often horrifying interactions between staff and inmates within one of Britain’s most infamous prisons.
