A prison governor who began a relationship with a drug-dealing gang boss locked up in the jail she ran has been found guilty of two counts of misconduct in a public office.

Kerri Pegg, 42, was seen as a “rising star” of the Prison Service, climbing the career ladder from graduate to governor of HMP Kirkham in Lancashire in six years.

But her trial heard she “didn’t play by the rules” and began a relationship with major Liverpool crime figure Anthony Saunderson, helping him secure day release.

A jury at Preston Crown Court returned their verdict at the end of a two-week trial.

Saunderson had used the name Jesse Pinkman, a meth dealer in the hit TV show Breaking Bad, during his communications with other criminals, the trial heard.

Jurors heard Pegg was known to spend a lot of time in her office with the inmate and, in October 2018, he put in a request to be released on temporary licence.

Though such requests are routine there are specific rules for how they should be dealt with – rules which the governor broke.

She did not have authority to approve the release, but intervened and approved the application without notifying the official who should have dealt with it, it was found.

Pegg stood with her head bowed and showed no reaction as the foreman of the jury delivered the verdicts.

Judge Graham Knowles KC told her she can expect a custodial sentence, adding: “I have no choice but to send you to prison due to the gravity of your offending.”