A BRIDGWATER nurse who worked at Broadmoor is facing jail after selling stories about patients to tabloid newspapers for thousands of pounds.

Kenneth Hall, 49, worked as a mental health nurse at the high security hospital. He sold stories about some of the most notorious killers to the News Of The World and the Mirror.

They included one about Robert Ashman, who attacked MP Nigel Jones and killed his assistant Andrew Pennington with a Samurai sword in 2000.

Hall pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office between June 29, 2002 and October 6, 2004, and forgery, at the Old Bailey in London, last Tuesday.

His wife Karen, who was also a nurse at the hospital, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the commissioning of the offence by allowing money she knew her husband was getting by selling stories to go into her account.

The mother-of-three, who suffers from poor mental health, did not sell any stories or disclose any confidential information herself.

The Halls live in Fairfax Road, with their children, aged seven, 11 and 12.

Mrs Hall was sentenced to five months in jail, suspended for two years, by judge Timothy Pontius who said it was a “tragedy” to see her in court.

But he added that by knowing her husband was profiting by selling stories, she had encouraged the offending.

The Old Bailey heard how Hall first sold stories to a freelance reporter who often worked for the News Of The World called Anna Gekoski.

He later also made contact with a reporter at the Mirror.

Prosecutor Stuart Biggs said Hall “was both providing care and treatment to patients with mental health illnesses and personality disorders” when he sold the stories.

He added: “He struck up contacts in the first instance it seems with a freelance journalist who was paid regularly by News International and the News of the World Newspaper in particular - Anna Gekoski.”

One story about Ashman read Samurai Nut Could Be Free In 18 Months and was written by Ms Gekoski, the court was told.

Emails were found between Ms Gekoski and Hall dating to September 19 2003, with the subject heading Ashman.

Attached were documents forged by Hall claiming to be patient notes relating to Ashman, and some genuine notes.

In the email Hall wrote: “Hope it goes in as a lot of work went into getting copies of those.”

Mr Biggs said Hall confessed to forging documents when he could not smuggle the originals out of the hospital.

But the prosecutor added: “Many of the contents are fabricated. There is sometimes some truth, and sometimes there is more truth, but there is at least exaggeration.

“In this case it’s a complete fabrication.”

Genuine documents relating to Ashman were also smuggled out.

Mr Biggs said: “In two different ways the public official abused his position.

“He had the credibility of the newspaper to create false documents, and he, on the rare occasions he was able, took out of the hospital a true document, with obvious sensitive and confidential information.”

The judge told Kenneth Hall that a prison sentence “must be uppermost in the court’s mind”.

Hall was bailed to return to the Old Bailey for sentencing on June 26.