Current timestamp: 23/03/2023 09:08:02
AgeAlertAnonymousAppealsApplicationsApply Or RegisterArea OutlineArrow DownArrow LeftArrow RightArrow UpAutomatic DoorsBack ArrowBusinessCalendarCashArrow DownArrow LeftArrow RightArrow Down[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-chrome' for 'English (United Kingdom)']ClockCloseContactDirectionsDocumentDownloadDrawDrugExpandExternal LinkFacebookFb CommentFb LikeFiletype DefaultFiletype DocFiletype PdfFiletype PptFiletype XlsFinance[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-firefox' for 'English (United Kingdom)']First AidFlickrFraudGive FeedbackGlobeGuide DogHealthHearing ImpairedInduction LoopInfoInstagramIntercom[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-internet-explorer' for 'English (United Kingdom)']LaptopLiftLinkedinLocal ActivityLoudspeakerLow CounterMailMapMap PinMembershipMenuMenu 2[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-microsoft-edge' for 'English (United Kingdom)']Missing PeopleMobility ImpairmentNationalityNorth PointerOne Mile RadiusOverviewPagesPaper PlaneParkingPdfPhonePinterestPlayPushchairRefreshReportRequestRestart[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-rotate-clockwise' for 'English (United Kingdom)']Rss[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-safari' for 'English (United Kingdom)']SearchShareSign LanguageSnapchatStart AgainStatsStats And Prevention AdviceStopSubscribeTargetTattosTell Us AboutTickTumblrTwenty Four HoursTwitterTwitter LikeTwitter ReplyTwitter RetweetUploadVisually ImpairedWhatsappWheelchairWheelchair AssistedWheelchair ParkingWheelchair RampWheelchair WcYoutubeZoom InZoom Out

Quickly exit this site by pressing the Escape key Leave this site

Skip to main content

Skip to main navigation

Welcome

This site is a beta, which means it's a work in progress and we'll be adding more to it over the next few weeks. Your feedback helps us make things better, so please let us know what you think.

Show me the site

Derbyshire Constabulary logo

Search this website

Main navigation menu

  • Report

    Back to Report

    • Crime
    • Domestic abuse
    • Rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences
    • Road traffic incident
    • Report antisocial behaviour
    • Missing person
    • Fraud, bribery or corruption
    • Civil disputes
    • Lost or found property
    • Lost or stolen vehicles
  • Tell us about

    Back to Tell us about

    • Tell us about possible terrorist activity
    • How to tell us about something you've seen or heard
    • An existing case or report
    • An event or procession
    • Filming
    • Abnormal vehicle load
  • Apply or register

    Back to Apply or register

    • Careers
    • Charity collection licences
    • Compensation for victims of crime
    • Firearm, shotgun or explosives certificate
    • Attend a misconduct hearing
  • Request

    Back to Request

    • A collision report
    • Intellectual property (IP) licence
    • Request your fingerprints
    • Information: about the police, about yourself or someone else
  • Thanks and complaints

    Back to Thanks and complaints

    • Complaints
    • Say thanks
    • Feedback about the website
  • Your area

Breadcrumb

  1. ...
  2. News

Prison officer jailed after helping lover escape

Main article content

Navigation

News

16:39 10/08/2021

A prison officer has been sentenced for helping her lover escape from a Derbyshire jail.

Erica Whittingham began a relationship with Michael Seddon while she worked at HMP Dovegate, in Staffordshire, where he was serving a term for his part in the violent robbery of an elderly farmer.

When Seddon was moved to the nearby HMP Sudbury, an open prison in the Derbyshire Dales, the pair continued their relationship – with Seddon communicating using a mobile phone he had snuck into the facility. 

Erica Whittingham 02.10.87.JPG

On the evening of 1 October 2019 Seddon escaped from HMP Sudbury, climbing over a fence as staff gave chase. He then fled in a waiting car driven by Whittingham.

The 33-year-old drove Seddon to Stoke the following morning where he then caught a train to Liverpool.

The following day, after information was found to suggest a relationship between the pair, Whittingham, was challenged by colleagues while at work.

She admitted the relationship, resigned from her position, and was arrested.

While the investigation into the pair continued, she met up with the escapee on at least eight other occasions across the country.

Seddon, 32, who was previously jailed for his part in a robbery which saw a 78-year-old farmer tied to a chair and beaten, was eventually found in Bournemouth in March 2020.

He was jailed for six months a month later after admitting escaping lawful custody.

Whittingham of Leigh Lane, Bramshall, Uttoxeter, previously pleaded guilty to harbouring an escaped prisoner and misconduct in public office. Today (10 August), at Derby Crown Court, she was jailed for three years.

Heather Saville, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit’s Regional Prison Intelligence Team, said: “This inmate made good his escape thanks, in part, to the assistance of a trusted member of prison staff, tasked to do the absolute opposite.

“Erica Whittingham then continued her relationship with Seddon, irrespective of the police investigation, something the judge has clearly not looked too favourably upon today.

“We work hard, in partnership with the Prison Service and the prisons themselves, to identify any corruption within our prisons establishment, and this case is a prime example of how far some people are willing to go in their corruption as to assist a man convicted and incarcerated for a violent offence, to walk freely within our communities.”  

Share

Is there a problem with this page?

Footer navigation

We use cookies on this site to give you a better, more personalised experience.

I'm fine with cookies I'd like to manage the cookies

Derbyshire Constabulary

  • Contact us
  • Find a police station
  • News
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Campaigns
  • Privacy notice
  • Cookies
  • Terms and conditions
  • Accessibility

Information and services

  • Advice and information
  • Crime prevention
  • Stats and data
  • Accessing information (FOI)
  • Report
  • Tell us about
  • Apply or register
  • Request
  • Say thanks
  • Make a complaint

Partners

  • Partner services
  • Police.uk
  • Ask the Police
  • Police and Crime Commissioner
  • Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service

Follow us on

© Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.