A hospital worker who got pregnant after an eight-month relationship with a psychiatric patient has been jailed. 

Lydia-May Green, 30, who later miscarried, fell 'in love' with the patient and met him outside the hospital when she was given leave from the wards and he was on day release.

The illegal romance may have caused the patient 'substantial psychological harm' and delayed his chances of being discharged, a court heard.

Green, dressed in black, cried in the dock as details of the abuse were read out at Bristol Crown Court.

She engaged in sexual activity with the patient during hotel stays over the summer of 2024.

Videos and photos found on her phone show nude images and clips of them naked from the waist up in bed, hugging and kissing.

There were recordings of the pair kissing in a car, Green carrying out oral sex on the patient - and him sucking her toes.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was first imprisoned for 10 years [in November 2018] following a Section 18, wounding with intent matter.

He was then detained under the Mental Health Act to a psychiatric facility in the summer of 2020.

Green started work at the hospital where he was being treated a year later [2021] on a student placement. She worked as a healthcare worker and qualified as a nurse in 2024.

She soon became one of his 'favourite members of staff' and they spent a lot of time together.

In February 2024, he sent her a message on Instagram saying she was 'the most beautiful woman in the world', writing 'I deserve you, you deserve me'.

She had been in a relationship at the time but it had broken down, the court was told.

And from May 2024, Green booked Travelodges in Bristol and Wales, where she stayed with the patient.

Green qualified as a registered nurse in September 2024 and gave one month's notice to leave her job [in Bristol] to work in another hospital.

Green carried out pregnancy tests over November and early December [2024] and told the patient the news, to which he called her his 'baby momma'.

The court heard she later miscarried and she sent photos of the miscarriage to him.

Green ended the relationship on New Year's Eve and wrote a farewell letter.

But on January 10, 2025, the victim told staff at the hospital he had been in a relationship with Green and showed photos of them together.

Green chatted with a friend who worked at the hospital and on January 22, 2025, wrote 'I know I engaged willingly' and 'I did fall in love with him'.

But some friends and family advised her against admitting to the relationship. She deleted footage in an apparent attempt to dispose of evidence, the court heard.

But she was arrested and interviewed on January 30, then again on April 28.

Prosecuting, barrister William Eaglestone said the breakup 'perhaps precipitated' the investigation.

He said the victim was autistic, with ADHD and had complex mental health needs which would affect his daily life.

He also has schizoaffective disorder, a chronic mental health condition combining psychotic symptoms with mood disorder.

He cited Dr Hannah Toogood, who said the relationship had caused the victim 'substantial psychological harm' and 'distress'. He had to leave his institution following the offences.

Dr Toogood said the patient's discharge may have been delayed because of Green's actions, which had a 'negative impact on his pathway to wellbeing and rehabilitation'.

Defending, barrister Thomas Stanway said from Green's arrest up until the day of sentencing, the patient had continued to contact Green and some of her friends by social media.

He said Green had reported it to police but there was nothing more they could do.

Mr Stanway said: 'She seeks to distance herself in any way she can from him. She wants to stop all contact in any way possible.'

He said Green, who had 'boundaries training' at work, accepted the inappropriate nature of the relationship and has shown remorse.

But he said it was not 'grooming' or 'coercive' as the man had pursued her and there was a 'consensual nature' to the relationship.

He described the man as 'very articulate' and a 'very sociable person who formed relationships quickly' and 'masks inability'.

Green had been working 14.5-hour shifts in a high-risk offender ward, where the prevalence of violence was high, but time with the complainant was an easier role.

He said: 'She was struggling and susceptible to making ill-advised choices and this relationship is possibly the worst decision she will ever make in her life.'

Mr Stanway said the relationship had a profound impact on Green's career. She had worked 10 years to become a nurse and now would not be able to achieve that goal.

Green, from Llanharan in Wales, pleaded guilty to a total of seven charges of engaging in sexual activity with a man with a mental disorder, dating from February to October 2024.

Judge Moira MacMillan sentenced Green to a total of 28 months imprisonment.