A female prison librarian accused of grabbing inmates' genitals while describing her love for ‘swingers parties’ has been cleared of sexual assault.

Sharon Mawdsley, 46, was found not guilty by a jury of five assaults on two prisoners following a week-long trial.

The mum-of-two was alleged to have “acted like an animal” and a "flirtatious predator" before molesting the men multiple times at HMP Kirkham.

Prosecutors said this began with her speaking to them in a “highly sexualised and crude manner” about her fantasies - which included "group sex".

The inmates claimed this later turned physical - telling the court she had grabbed their genitals, which left them in fear of being disciplined.

Mawdsley pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public officer after admitting to having sex with inmate, Stephen Morrell, in the library's back office.

But she denied that she had discussed her private life around inmates - with her barrister, Stephen Parkinson, branding the claims “complete and utter nonsense.”

She wept in the dock when she was cleared of the sexual assault charges at Preston Crown Court.

Prosecutor David Bentley said during the trial an inmate first complained about Mawdsley to a prison chaplain and a probation officer in April 2018.

The man later told police how he had become a serving prisoner at HMP Kirkham, an open prison, in July 2017.

But not long later, he recalled to the jury how Mawdsley had begun to share intimate details of her personal sexual interests.

Mawdsley denied that she had talked about her sex life around inmates when she took to the witness box – and said she thought they were just “having a laugh”.

She will be sentenced on May 24 for misconduct in a public office.