Leicester prison teacher tells of jail sex sessions with murderer

May 8 2011 by Ben Goldby, Sunday Mercury

A PRISON teacher who filmed sex sessions with a knife killer spoke for the first time about the affair and said: ‘‘I’ve no regrets.’’

Beverley Van-de-Velde, 60, was sacked from her job at HMP Rye Hill in Warwickshire last year after her relationship with murderer Richard Francis was discovered by staff.

But the mum-of-two says she has “no regrets” about the affair – and plans to meet with the 29 year-old killer again upon his release.

Their graphic sex tape was discovered in Francis’ cell last November, along with hundreds of love letters from the media studies teacher. Van-de-Velde says she fell for the gangster because he was a “sympathetic listener” who gave her a shoulder to cry on after she split from her partner.

“The more I got to know him, the more I liked him,” she said.

“I was really attracted to him, but doing anything about it was against all prison rules.

‘‘Yet just being near him had a strange effect on me.

“I tried to ignore it, but I could feel the magnetic draw between us. Sensing this, Richard leaned in and kissed me.