Prison warder had affair with acid attack rapist

A prison officer had an affair with the rapist behind an acid attack on TV presenter Katie Piper, it was revealed today.

Warder Lisa Harris, 28, sneaked "kisses and cuddles" with Daniel Lynch while he was awaiting trial for the attack, The Sun reported.

The warder at Pentonville Prison in north London was accused of sneaking a mobile phone into Lynch's cell then sending him "amorous" text messages.

Harris, of Romford, Essex, admitted three charges of misconduct in public office at Blackfriars Crown Court yesterday.

She resigned from her job earlier this year and will be sentenced next month.

Prosecutor Philip Jones told the court: "The amorous messages have been downloaded from the phones.

"There were many calls between the phone the prisoner had and the two owned by the defendant."

Lynch was jailed for life in May for raping Ms Piper then arranging for sulphuric acid to be thrown in her face.

The model waived her anonymity to tell a Channel 4 documentary of her battle to recover. The acid burned through all four layers of skin on her face and some spilled down her throat, damaging it so badly that she needs to be fed through a tube into her stomach.

She was left blind in one eye and has undergone more than 30 operations on her face and throat.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "Former Pentonville prison officer Lisa Harris resigned in September this year after her arrest for bringing a mobile phone into the prison."