Female prison officer, 30, denies 'inappropriate relationship' with murderer at maximum security Belmarsh jail

By JAKE HOLDEN, UK NEWS REPORTER Published: 23:11, 9 June 2026 | Updated: 23:13, 9 June 2026 A female prison officer has denied having an 'inappropriate relationship' with a murderer at Belmarsh maximum security prison, a court heard. Michelle Molver, 30, admitted to 'kissing' and sending letters to murderer Kemai Mathurine, 23, while working at the prison in Woolwich, south-east London. She has been charged with misconduct in a public office between August 1 and September 5 last year, but denies her actions amount to the offence. Mathurine was locked up at 16 for his involvement in the gang murder of Joseph William Torres, 20, in March 2018 and sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in prison. Mr Torres was sitting in a van in Essex Close, Walthamstow, with his friend when he was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity. Molver, of Chadwell Heath, Essex, appeared at Woolwich Crown Court wearing an all black outfit and Dr Marten boots. Her not guilty plea means she must wait more than three years to stand trial due to the courts' backlog.  According to the charge, Molver had an 'inappropriate relationship' with Mathurine 'in the workshop' while performing her role as Prison Employment Lead. Michelle Molver, 30, admitted to 'kissing' and sending letters to murderer Kemai Mathurine, 23, while working at Belmarsh Prison but denies the charge of misconduct in a public office. Here she is pictured outside Woolwich Crown Court today Joseph William Torres, 20, (pictured) was gunned down in a case of mistaken identity by Kemai Mathurine and two other gang members Hamza Ul Haq, 21, Loic Nengese, 19 Nigel Leskin, defending, said: 'She admits she had a relationship with the prisoner, but this extended only as far as letters sent between them and kissing. 'She does not accept this amounts to misconduct in public office.' Her hearing today fixed a three-day trial for September 5, 2029, but she will not be kept in custody until her case is heard in court, as she was released today on unconditional bail. Judge Elizabeth Baker told Molver: 'You have pleaded not guilty to this, and as you heard the trial is not going to take place for some considerable time. 'If you change your mind at any point, just let your lawyers know.' Molver had been responsible for helping ex-convicts find jobs on the outside and is listed as a former director of the now dissolved Road to Rehabilitation Ltd and as a current director of Grass Root Homes Ltd. She was also involved with The Churchill Fellowship, which focuses on rehab projects to reduce reoffending among ex-prisoners. In an online profile Molver states: 'My role is to support prisoners into employment on release and ultimately to reduce their likelihood of reoffending. 'The criminal justice system in the UK is at breaking point, with prison populations at an all-time high, and this has a ripple effect impacting services well beyond the justice sector.' The pistol used to murder Mr Torres in March 2018 Molver was meant to be helping ex-convicts find jobs on the outside and worked in rehabilitation organisations following her first-class honours degree in criminology She also wrote that her fellowship project looked at ways to cut reoffending in UK prisons by studying practices used in countries including Norway and Switzerland. Molver previously celebrated a first-class honours degree in criminology from Leeds Beckett University. HMP Belmarsh houses high-profile offenders, including national security risk prisoners. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.