Helen Spree, 63, who chaired the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) for HMP Liverpool, is jailed after admitting misconduct involving inmates. Multiple reports say Spree sent sexual messages to a prisoner serving a life sentence for manslaughter and also smuggled drugs into the jail. The allegations describe a pattern of inappropriate communication over an extended period while she held the watchdog role. One outlet reports that Spree engaged in illicit chats with prisoners over about 20 months. Another describes that she used sexually explicit images or videos and communicated with a killer inmate while he was in custody. The reporting also includes details that Spree kept items such as pillows featuring the face of the convicted killer she later messaged. The Guardian adds that Spree was sentenced to five years. All sources describe the same core conduct: misuse of her position as an IMB chair, sexual communications with inmates, and drug smuggling into HMP Liverpool.