Three male prison guards appeared in court last week accused of having sex with female inmates at HMP Downview.

Christopher Bevan, Russell Thorne and Simon Dykes were accused of having sex with nine prisoners over the past four years at Downview Prison, Sutton.

The three men have been suspended from their jobs at the female prison until the conclusion of their trial, scheduled for June.

They denied a total of 10 charges of “wilful misconduct in a public office” when they appeared at Guildford Crown Court on Friday.

Mr Thorne, of Sinclair Drive, and Mr Bevan, of Leith Towers, both in Belmont, also deny two charges each of having sex with a female inmate.

Mr Dykes, from Dorking, denies four charges of having sex with a prisoner, one of sexual touching and one involving a sex act.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between July 1, 2006 and February 25, 2010 and between May 21, 2008 and February 25, 2010.

The trio were all released on bail but must not contact, directly or indirectly, any inmates or former inmates of the prison, or any employees of HM Prison Service.

Judge Neil Stewart ordered that none of the nine alleged victims should be named at Friday’s hearing ahead of a potential application by the prosecution to ban any reporting of their identities during the trial.

He said he would review the order at a later date because all the inmates involved are convicted prisoners.

Downview, a former nurses’ home, became a female prison for 358 inmates in 2001 - it also houses a juvenile offenders’ wing.

The Prison Service website says: "The prison provides a positive regime with a variety of vocational training courses and NVQ opportunities contributing to a positive experience for prisoners, offering a variety of opportunities to improve learning and training skills and offending behaviour."