The jury has retired in the trial of two prison guards accused of having sex for with inmates at a women’s jail in exchange for favours including weekend release and alcohol.

Russell Thorne, 41, an acting governor at HMP Downview, and Simon Dykes, 45, a respected and experienced prison warder, are accused of romping with various inmates hoping for special treatment at the Sutton jail, a jury at Guildford Crown Court was told.

Principal officer Thorne,from Sutton, struck up a three-and-a-half year relationship with one inmate organised a threesome with him and another inmate in a store room, the jury heard.

Mr Dykes, from Dorking, is alleged to have had sex with four prisoners, touched another woman sexually and masturbated outside an inmate's cell.

He got one woman to perform a sex act on him in a toilet before ordering her not to tell anyone because they would not believe her, the court was told.

Mr Thorne denies two counts of misconduct in public office, involving having sex with inmates between July 2006 and February 2010.

Mr Dykes denies six charges of misconduct in public office in the same period.

The jury retired to consider their verdicts yesterday.