Cherrie-Ann Austin-Saddington, a 26-year-old prison officer based at HMP The Verne in Dorset, fell into a taboo love affair. Her former partner, Bradley Trengrove, is a convicted rapist and murderer. The way their relationship began was very unusual and quickly became unhealthy and abusive. In May of 2023, this all finally came to a head when she was arrested for attempting to smuggle contraband into the prison.
Despite repeated cautions about the dangers of forming dangerous bonds with men behind bars, Austin-Saddington often began her career working in the men’s jail. But only two weeks into her new job, she found herself in a shocking situation. Another prisoner on her wing who had a long history of mental health issues and was constantly self-harming. This experience shook her deeply and made her question her very place there.
She was trained to emphasize the legal ramifications of crossing boundaries into inappropriate relationships. That said, she was still able to connect with Trengrove when he passed her a magazine in the day room. Their early discussions uncovered hidden personal histories—highlighted in part by Trengrove’s excellent past relationship at 15 years old. Through their correspondence, Austin-Saddington found that their conversations often focused on trauma. She vulnerably shared about how she felt personally betrayed by a coworker.
Shortly after their first conversations, Austin-Saddington found herself under attack from her bosses. The security governor told her that a fellow colleague had complained that they were too cozy. The duo wouldn’t let anything get in their way. They began by convening in vocational workshop spaces and spent several hours with one another in each meeting.
As if that weren’t enough, things took a more sinister turn when Austin-Saddington saved Trengrove’s threatening contact info as “Husband to Be” in her phone. Her growing obsession with Trengrove drove her to commit increasingly extreme acts. She ended up being arrested when she attempted to sneak a Calpol syringe into the prison for him.
Austin-Saddington’s case is just the most recent in a disturbing trend. She is one of at least nine women recently convicted of misconduct in public office this year, highlighting ongoing issues of staff misconduct in prison and jails.
In a subsequent interview reflecting on her relationship with Trengrove, Austin-Saddington stated that she felt used and manipulated.
“Now I’ve had time to reflect, I do think he took advantage of me. He knew what he was doing.” – Cherrie-Ann Austin-Saddington
She really delved into how her past experiences informed how she approached people and the decisions that they made.
“I’ve had a lot happen to me in younger life that’s skewed my way of thinking. I’ve been sexually assaulted on quite a few occasions. I feel like I have to give my person everything because I’m not enough.” – Cherrie-Ann Austin-Saddington
In February 2024, Austin-Saddington had a spinal stroke. This tragic accident left her paralyzed from the chest down, bringing a whole new level of chaos into her already chaotic life. Soon after her arrest, she changed her name by deed poll to… She took this unconventional step to maintain regular contact with Trengrove, who was still incarcerated at The Verne.
Looking back on what’s been a rocky road, Austin-Saddington expressed the anguish she experienced during her battle.
“I was angry and upset, and Bradley comforted me. It was after that that we started texting each other.” – Cherrie-Ann Austin-Saddington
She was unflinching when she spoke about staffing shortages in prisons. She highlighted that in the face of overwhelming recruitment, there’s a tendency to overlook employee behavior.
“They are desperate for work so they’ll take anything. Prisons are so short of staff that I don’t think enough attention is paid to the staff they’ve got.” – Cherrie-Ann Austin-Saddington
As this story continues to develop, it poses very important questions about professional boundaries in correctional facilities. In addition, it explores the psychological forces that can motivate people to overstep those boundaries.