A Scots woman has struck up a romance with an armed robber in the US after meeting through a pen-pal site for prisoners.
Gemma Kelly, 28, started writing to convict Jordan Bailey after watching a documentary about inmates seeking love behind bars.
Bailey, 26, is serving a seven-year stretch for armed robbery and kidnapping at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Washington State.
Gemma, from Addiewell in West Lothian , began sending him messages last year after thinking he looked “cute” in his profile photo on website writeaprisoner.com
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In November, she flew more than 4400 miles to see him in the prison. She is planning another trip next month and the pair have discussed moving in together when he is released in four years’ time.
Customer service adviser Gemma said: “I’ve always been interested in American true crime programmes and when I found out about the website, it intrigued me.
“I thought it would make a fun hobby and I sent a letter to Jordan after thinking he looked attractive in his profile photograph. I introduced myself, told him a bit about my life and he wrote back.
“We soon started emailing and calling each other. We hit it off right away and before I knew it, I had real feelings for him. I never expected anything like that to happen but I decided I had to meet face to face.”
Gemma spent more than £3000 on the two-week trip and stayed at an apartment in the prison grounds. She sat at a table chatting with Bailey for several hours a day.
They were allowed to kiss and hold hands but conjugal visits are banned.
She said: “Jordan was so excited that I’d come all that way to see him. He hugged me as soon as he saw me and we were allowed to kiss for five seconds at the start of the visit and five seconds at the end.
"The guards were very strict and kept telling us, ‘No touching’.
“Jordan is a lovely guy. He told me a bit about his crime and how he regretted it.”
Bailey was jailed for a housebreaking, where he detained the homeowner at gunpoint.
Gemma added: “My mum didn’t want me to go but I knew if I didn’t go, I’d regret it and wonder, ‘What if?’
“Jordan and I have talked about living together but we’ll need to see what happens when he’s released.”
