'Very pretty' female prison officer's tight trousers 'left very little to the imagination', court hears - as she is accused of having phone sex with one inmate, a relationship with another and blowing a kiss to a third

A 'very pretty' female prison officer who had phone sex with a convicted gangster insisted on wearing skin-tight trousers to work, a court has heard, as it was revealed she is also accused of having a relationship with a second inmate. 

Head of security Dan Hayman said Ruth Shmylo chose not to wear prison-issue uniform and instead wore her own 'skin-tight trousers' which 'left very little to the imagination.'

Shmylo was questioned by bosses over her 'flirtatious' behaviour just months after starting her role in HMP Parc in Bridgend, South Wales. She denies the charges against her, which are of misconduct in a public office.

The 26-year-old has admitted to having phone sex with drug dealer inmate Harri Pullen and meeting with his mother during their alleged behind-bars romance, before he was moved 200 miles to HMP Manchester. The romance was discovered after calls were recorded in the weeks after she left her job. 

The officer was also seen on CCTV blowing a kiss to a prisoner, an act she said she was 'embarrassed' by and called a 'silly mistake.' 

Prosecutor Matthew Cobbe said that between January and April 2021 there had been 20 'intelligence reports' in the prison with concerns surrounding Shmylo including her uniform. 

Mr Cobbe said Mr Hayman had asked Shmylo if it was not better to wear trousers that 'were a little larger and not quite so fitting.'

Mr Hayman said: 'The concern was Ms Shmylo was wearing trousers that she had purchased outside of the uniform supply process which were exceptionally fitted and not considered appropriate.'

Mr Cobbe asked: 'What was the issue?'

Mr Hayman said: 'Trousers that were skin-tight or near enough skin-tight.'

He added: 'There is a large cohort of male prisoners and a young female officer or any officer wearing inappropriate clothing is something that we would challenge - especially trousers that are that fitted and leave very little to the imagination.

'There were other trousers available but she was not happy with how they fell on her body - or how they looked.'

Shmylo was also questioned by bosses over her behaviour towards other inmates while working as a custody officer between August 2020 and April 2021. 

Mr Hayman said Shmylo was quizzed by counter-corruption teams at the prison over her alleged relationships with another unnamed prisoner.  

Mr Hayman told the court Shmylo was quizzed over reports she had sought out a different prisoner on Facebook with a 'second phone' he was feared to have had inside. 

Mr Hayman said: 'This was in relation to a different prisoner who we had reports of Ms Shmylo linking to. Ms Shmylo told us that the only connection was via social media because that person was a friend of a friend but she acknowledged that she had searched for him on Facebook.' 

Mr Cobbe asked Mr Hayman about a series of issues that Shmylo was questioned about by prison bosses including a relationship with another prisoner, as well as other concerns including the use of social media, her relationship with Harri Pullen and 'the way she was interacting with other prisoners.'

Shmylo was also quizzed on 'professional boundaries between staff and prisoners, overfamiliarity with prisoners, and flirtatious behaviour towards prisoners.'

Mr Hayman said there also other safety fears that led to Shmylo eventually being dismissed. 

He said: 'There were reports over conversations she was having with prisoners. She was observed to be secretive, whispering, intentionally trying to have conversations out of earshot.' 

Mr Cobbe said there was also discussions of Shmylo's relationship with another prisoner - who was moved to a different wing due to concerns over their closeness. 

When asked why Mr Pullen was moved to Manchester HMP, Mr Hayman said: 'We noticed a spiral in Mr Pullen's behaviour following Ms Shmylo's exit from the prison.

'When management and staff questioned Mr Pullen as to reasons for his behaviour he gave an account of his partner of five or so months being out on the weekend - as in out on the weekend socially - and out with other men.

'There was an inference that he believed the relationship was coming to an end and that was the spiral in his behaviour.

'He described his partner who I believed to be Miss Shmylo. He gave a description of her, indicated when her birthday was, her home area, and making it clear to staff who it was, knowing she had left the prison at that point.

'He was not happy we had dismissed Ms Shmylo.'

Mr Cobbe said: 'She conceded during the course of her interview that she had had phone sex with the inmate.

'She explained this was principally the inmate saying things to her, noting that 'I was listening for the best part of it'.

'That means she was actively engaging in phone sex with the inmate - or some of it.

Claire Wilks, defending, said Shmylo was a 'very pretty 23-year-old' who was at obvious risk of being manipulated by Mr Pullen.

She said: 'He was a convicted drug dealer, it was an intelligence led operation, he's the member of an organised crime group. All those factors lead him to being a high risk and whilst he was in custody he was known to be a risk.'

Ms Wilks said Mr Pullen had 'illicit phones' in prison and 'at one stage was thought to be in possession of an improvised gun'.

Mr Pullen and Shmylo's alleged affair began after he passed a mobile number to the female officer on a slip of paper and she phoned him on it for 'teenage' style chats.

Mr Cobbe said she should have reported Mr Pullen for having a secret phone behind bars, but instead chose to ring him.

He said the Pullen would contact Shmylo 'daily', and had phone sex with her and referred to her as his 'Mrs'.

He contacted her on her birthday wishing her 'happy birthday princess girl' and arranged for his mother to meet up with her.

The trial, expected to last five days, continues.