Devoted Tate Deighton is fighting to wean her boyfriend off the heroin she says he became hooked on in prison.

Ms Deighton, 46, who lives in Hove, claims her partner of 18 months had never taken the drug before he was remanded in custody to Lewes prison on March 14.

But five weeks later, when space was finally found room for him at a bail hostel, he returned home and confessed he had become an addict.

Her harrowing story is the latest indictment of conditions in the prison, dubbed a "degrading dungeon" in a watchdog's report last month.

But still the governor refuses to speak directly to The Argus.

Ms Deighton has taken it upon herself to see her boyfriend through the "cold turkey" of withdrawal symptoms.

She has already lost one loved one to the drug and is battling to prevent a tragic repeat.

A landlady, she has turned a basement flat in Wilbury Road, Hove, into a home detox unit where she was, until yesterday, caring for the 22-year-old 24 hours a day as he lay shivering on a mattress.

Addiction experts have urged her to seek professional advice but she is determined to go it alone.

After speaking to The Argus she was last night preparing to take him to a secret address, saying putting him among other offenders at a bail hostel would bring him back into contact with the drug.

Ms Deighton aims to ensure he is completely clean in time for his next court appearance on May 24, when he faces charges of causing actual bodily harm and criminal damage. He denies both.

Ms Deighton said: "If a kid who gets sent down for a few weeks because they can't find anywhere else for him comes out an addict, there must be some serious problems."

"He came back on Tuesday last week. I took him out for a meal and we went to the beach.

"I left him there with a mate of his and when he came back home we sat chatting before going to bed.

"I woke up at 5.45am and he'd gone. I noticed my credit card had gone and called the Nationwide. They said £30 had been withdrawn that day. I was furious.

"When he came back he told me he needed the money for heroin. He'd never taken it before, certainly not in the time I've known him.

"My ex died from a heroin overdose in 1996, the day he came out of Belmarsh prison. I came home to find him lying dead on the bathroom floor. He was only 25.

"I'm not going to lose someone like that again.

"As soon as he told me he was an addict, it all came flooding back.

"I rang a friend of a friend and he told me what I had to do. He said get him in a room and get some guys to beat him up so he can't walk, then look after him round the clock.

"I decided I'd rather do it myself.

"I hit him with a crowbar. I told him if he wanted to leave he could - it was heroin or help.

"He stayed. I must have given him about 300 whacks. I called an ambulance and told them I'd battered him but he didn't want to go to hospital.

"He's been in bed since and I've been feeding him soup, vegetables and painkillers. He's been really sick but I'm staying in touch with the hospital and it's not too bad.

"Tonight I'm taking him to a B&B away from everyone in Brighton so he can come off the stuff completely.

"It's awful but it's the only way. If he gets better, I will feel I've saved his life. I couldn't handle another death."

A recent investigation found 40 per cent of inmates subjected to a random check at Lewes prison had traces of illegal drugs in their blood, compared with a national average of 15 per cent.

Earlier this month prison warder Andrew Hubbard, 39, was jailed for seven years for smuggling a "mini drugs supermarket" into Lewes. He told a court he was acting in sympathy for the addicts inside.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The prison recognises drugs are part of the culture for some individuals and while there are stringent measures in place, such as CCTV and dog searches, there are unfortunately occasions when drugs are brought in.

"The prison is aiming to control the drug culture by a system of education and support through drug counselling."

A spokeswoman for drug charity Addaction said: "Beating someone about the head with a crowbar is not the normal method for treatment in this country. It sounds like street folklore.

"There are services in Brighton and Hove designed for people in this situation and I would advise she gets in touch with us rather than try a home detox on her own."

Ms Deighton said: "I left London to leave the whole drugs thing behind, only to find it's just as bad in Brighton. After the court case is all over, when he's better, I'm selling up my properties and we're going to leave the country, go somewhere peaceful."

The Argus is now unaware of Ms Deighton's whereabouts.

Addaction can be contacted on 01273 607575.