LYDIA MAY GREEN – LLANHARAN, WALES

Nurse Jailed After Relationship With Psychiatric Patient Left Him “Psychologically Harmed”

A hospital worker who became pregnant after entering into a relationship with a psychiatric patient she was caring for has been jailed for 28 months.

Lydia-May Green, 30, admitted engaging in sexual activity with a man suffering from serious mental health conditions while she worked at the hospital where he was being treated. The relationship, which lasted around eight months, was described in court as causing the patient “substantial psychological harm” and negatively affecting his rehabilitation and discharge prospects.

Bristol Crown Court heard Green first met the patient while working on a placement at the psychiatric facility in 2021. The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had previously been imprisoned for wounding with intent before being detained under the Mental Health Act in 2020.

Prosecutors said the patient, who is autistic, has ADHD and schizoaffective disorder, developed a close attachment to Green after she became one of his “favourite members of staff.” Their relationship later progressed beyond the hospital, with Green allegedly booking hotel stays across Bristol and Wales while the patient was on leave and day release.

The court heard Green and the patient exchanged intimate messages and photographs, with videos recovered from her phone allegedly showing the pair engaging in sexual activity. During the relationship, Green became pregnant before later miscarrying. Prosecutors said she sent photographs of the miscarriage to the patient.

The relationship came to light in January 2025 after the patient disclosed it to hospital staff and showed them pictures of the pair together. Green was later arrested and interviewed by police.

William Eaglestone, prosecuting, said the relationship had delayed the patient’s progress toward recovery and discharge. A psychiatrist involved in the case told the court the affair caused the man “distress” and had a “negative impact on his pathway to wellbeing and rehabilitation.”

Defending barrister Thomas Stanway argued the relationship was not coercive or predatory, describing it instead as “consensual in nature.” He said Green had accepted the relationship was inappropriate, had shown remorse and had struggled emotionally while working long shifts on a high-risk offender ward.

The defence also told the court Green had completed workplace boundary training and had spent nearly a decade working toward qualifying as a nurse before her career collapsed because of the offences.

Judge Moira MacMillan sentenced Green to 28 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to seven counts of engaging in sexual activity with a mentally disordered male patient between February and October 2024.

During sentencing, the judge said healthcare professionals are expected to maintain strict professional boundaries and that vulnerable patients must be protected from exploitation, regardless of whether a relationship appears consensual.