Prison watchdog chairwoman Helen Spree, 63, sent sexual videos to killer

Our thanks to Warren for this. Extracts from the BBC piece:

“The chairwoman of a prison watchdog board had inappropriate relationships with inmates and smuggled drugs into jail while comparing herself to Deliveroo, a court has heard.

Helen Spree, 63, led the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Liverpool, a body intended to scrutinise prisoners’ conditions.

Spree, said to have had a “successful career” as a sales director for a global firm, engaged in intimate conversations and sent explicit videos to three serious criminals, including a man who shot a teenager dead in 2017.

She pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to misconduct in a public office, conspiracy to supply cannabis and conspiracy to convey prohibited items into prison…

Arthur Gibson, mitigating, said Spree’s career achievements were “a veneer which was hiding a personal life of abuse and trauma”.

He said: “By 2017, she had become seriously damaged mentally by her dealings with men and towards them had very low self-esteem.” [J4MB emphasis: Woman commits crimes, men responsible. Same old, same old.]

“When it came to being flattered and treated as a confidante, she was easily susceptible to making what were seriously wrong judgments.

“Much of what she said in messages was bravado in order to attract more flattery and praise.

“This was not criminality borne out of financial inducement. It was borne out of a situation she found herself [in].””

Warren writes:

“In mitigation, we are told that she was ‘easily flattered into making seriously wrong judgements.’

Quite. She’s Chairwoman of the Independent Monitoring Board. She’s 63 years old. Yet has two pillow cases at home, embossed with the picture of a killer, with whom she behaves inappropriately..

Why do we keep giving responsibility to overgrown children who cannot tell right from wrong?”

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4 thoughts on “Prison watchdog chairwoman Helen Spree, 63, sent sexual videos to killer

  1. And you just know she was Chair because that fits the DEI idea. I couldn’t find the sentence given but I bet it was pretty light. Given her”mental health” and susceptibility to flattery . Clearly no “vetting” was done or was it done and ignored to get an “amazing” woman on the board? What always strikes me on these cases is that the “vulnerable” is actually the prisoner given he’s locked up in a Prison and she’s free to do whatever she wants. Yet somehow it’s the woman who is treated as a sort of victim. Can you imagine such a line being taken if it were a man overseeing a women’s prison ? Being easily flattered and having a “crush” would be laughed at in court if that was “mitigation”.

    Deep down we still treat women as “damsels” no matter what the claims of equality.

    Liked by 3 people

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