Prison boss 'in relationship with drug dealer she freed'

A PRISON governor romanced a drug dealer who gave her an illegally funded £12,000 Mercedes after she freed him from jail, a court heard.

- By Pat Hurst

Kerri Pegg, 42, rose from promising Prison Service graduate entrant to governor in just six years, Preston Crown Court heard yesterday but "didn't play by the rules".

At HMP Kirkham, she began a relationship with inmate Anthony Saunderson, whose DNA was later found on a toothbrush at her home in Orrell, Wigan, jurors were told.

Barbara-Louise Webster, for the prosecution, said: "Despite having a good income, she lived beyond her means. She spent all her income and more, incurring debts and she had county court judgments made against her. she became vulnerable and open to exploitation...