A Thamesmead prison officer who smuggled phones to an inmate so he could send her romantic messages is facing jail.

Anita Offe, from Bexleyheath, snuck phones and sim cards to Elijah Mochia, 22, while he was in Thameside Prison in Griffin Manor Way, Thamesmead.

Offe, 23, was working as the equality and diversity officer at the prison at the time of the offences between December last year and January, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Mochia, who had previously been locked up for four years for robbery and possession of offensive weapon, was serving a 12 week term for battery at the time of the offences.

CCTV footage showed the pair meeting in a forbidden area of the jail.

Denise Johnson, prosecuting, said: “On 20 January she is seen on CCTV to be in a part of the prison she had no business to be near to where Mr Mochia was.

“She was seen going into a stairwell.

“Mr Mochia goes into the stairwell empty handed and returns two minutes later with a bag.

“After putting it in his locker he returns to the stairwell and they are both in there for 45 minutes before finally leaving.”

News Shopper:

HMP Thameside in Griffon Manor Way.

Inside the bag were mobile phones, chargers, and sim card, and similar items were found in Mochia's cell.

A deleted text, recovered from Offe's phone, read: “Black beauty of my life, I never thought in prison I could meet a black beauty like you.”

The message ended: “From E”.

Following her arrest Offe had denied the relationship claiming duress, suggesting Mochia had threatened her son.

But records of 4,500 calls at all times of night, sometimes lasting hours, and the love poem were recovered from her phone by the network operator.

Judge Alistair McCreath told the pair they are both facing jail and adjourned sentencing until September 12.

He added: “You have pleaded guilty to a very serious crime.”

Offe, of First Avenue, and Mochia, of Gleneagle Road, Streatham, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring or convey List B articles into prison.