Bridgend: Accused prison guard terrified of inmate - court

Ruth Shmylo is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with an inmate while working as a prison officer

A former prison officer accused of an inappropriate relationship with an inmate was "terrified" of what he would do if she did not speak to him, a court has heard.

Ruth Shmylo, 26, told police that the prisoner, Harri Pullen, had "started threatening" her and told her that "nobody rejects me".

She has denied one charge of misconduct in public office.

The alleged offence happened between 1 December 2020 and 17 April 2021.

Miss Shmylo had been working on the wing where Pullen was being detained at HMP Parc in Bridgend, until she was dismissed at the end of her probation period in April 2021.

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The jury at Cardiff Crown Court heard recorded phone calls between Pullen and Miss Shmylo after he had been moved to a prison in Manchester, where he told her he "missed" her and called her "princess".

Transcripts were also read out in court from a police interview conducted with Miss Shmylo in July 2021, after she had been arrested.

Having been told of the charge she faced, Miss Shmylo responded by saying: "I wasn't in a relationship with Harri Pullen."

She said that as a prison officer, she initially "had a good rapport with him".

Phone calls from prison

In December 2020, he had passed a piece of paper to her with his phone number on it, which she initially laughed off as a "joke".

But the court heard that she was then called to a meeting with bosses at Parc in January 2021, following accusations against her including of making "sexual advances towards prisoners", something she denied.

Eventually, she said, she suspected that Pullen had been behind the complaints, and confronted him about them.

Pullen responded by describing himself as a "model", and said "nobody rejects me, look at me."

Miss Shmylo went on to say that Pullen had insisted she get a phone Sim card with which he could call her, after making what she perceived to be threatening remarks, including about her brother-in-law, pets and car.

"Do you know what I'm about?" was a threat he would often make, she said, adding that she took that as a reference to his links to organised crime.

Pullen would then call her most days, said Miss Shmylo, and turned to her for emotional support after his grandmother had died.

She said he would say that no-one cared about him and "I was the only person he had".

She added: "I spoke to him almost to pacify him, because I was terrified of him."

At one point Miss Shmylo told him that she would be moving to Australia, hoping that he would stop contacting her.

The court heard that when that failed, and Miss Shmylo told Pullen that "this needs to stop" as she was "literally having a mental breakdown", she claimed that he replied: "So what?"

'Tell her I love her'

In one call between Pullen and Miss Shmylo, shortly after Pullen had been moved to Manchester, the two could be heard discussing his new surroundings, and the pandemic situation at the time regarding Covid lockdowns and vaccines.

At one point, Pullen is heard saying "I miss your little face", before ending the call with "ta-ra, princess", to which Miss Shmylo responds: "Thanks, bye."

A call between Pullen and his mother was also played in court, from when he was still at HMP Parc but after Miss Shmylo's employment had been terminated.

Pullen was heard saying: "I never wanna see her hurt, I'll do anything I can for her… tell her I love her, Mum."

He added: "I want things to progress. I want to marry her and have kids with her… I mean it from the bottom of my heart."

Matthew Cobbe, prosecuting, said Pullen's mother could be heard on the recording using another device, which was alleged to have been so Miss Shmylo could hear the ongoing conversation on a different phone.

The trial continues.