British mother abandons her three children to marry Texas violent prisoner she met online after becoming 'impressed with his honesty'

Jennifer Butler is leaving her three children in UK to marry American prisoner

Christoper Mosier will be released on parole in September after serving five-years of a 15-year sentence for drug convictions

Butler met Mosier online in 2011 and they became penpals

First traveled to see him in October and Mosier proposed using a piece of grey string as a ring

Is leaving her three children - all younger than 10 - with their father

A British mother is to pack up and leave her three children behind to make a whole new life with a violent US prisoner she met online.

Jennifer Butler, 29, will leave the UK and travel to French Robertson Unit in Texas to marry Christopher Mosier, 23 and leave her three young children all younger than 10 with their father.

The besotted woman will move in with Mosier when he is released on parole in September and denied she is making a mistake.

'Some people might think I'm bonkers for falling in love with a prisoner. And not everyone will agree with our relationship,' Butler said to The Sun. 'But Chris is a wonderful man. Sure, he made a few mistakes in the past, but everybody deserves a second chance.'

Love: Jennifer Butler, 29, pictured right earlier this year, is flying 5,000 miles from the UK to French Robertson Unit in Texas to marry Christopher Mosier, 23, left, leaving her three young kids who are all younger than 10

The single mother started writing to Mosier in July after she found his profile on the website, writeaprisoner.com, which unites would be pen-pals to inmates online.

His honest profile revealed that he had been sentenced to 15 years in 2009 for burglary with deadly conduct and also had prior drug convictions.

Butler's future husband also was a member of an armed gang, but she said that she felt an instant connection with him and was struck by his honesty.





'I felt sorry for him being locked up, nobody to talk to except other prisoners. Of course, I didn't condone his crimes. But he was still a human being, and deserved to have a friend,' Butler said to The Sun.

'I was really intrigued by his profile. It was different to the rest. Most of the guys were posing with their tops off. But his was articulate and he was open about his crime.'

Leaving them behind: Butler, seen center in May, plans to move in with her lover when he is released on parole in September. Her children, pictured with her, will stay with their dad, from whom she split in 2010

The love-struck couple began writing to each other three times a week but suddenly in June 2013, Butler stopped receiving letters.

'I felt really sad that I hadn't heard from him. That's when I realised my feelings for him ran a lot deeper. I no longer saw him as just a friend anymore,' Butler said to The Sun.

'Then a month later I received a letter from him. He told me that the prison had been on lockdown so he had not been able to get stamps to write to me,' the smitten mom said.

'I realized I was in love with him and that letter made me admit it to myself. I couldn't bear to lose him.'

As their love-affair blossomed, Butler even got her three children - Tyler, 8, Tristan, 7 and Mia, 4, to write to Mosier too.

The prisoner started to receive letters from the children with drawings for his cell that they had made.

Butler said that she believes it is really important that her children come to know Mosier because she will spend the rest of her life with him.

Eventually, Butler had saved enough money from her job as a part-time sales assistant to travel to Texas to see Mosier.

Mothering from abroad: Jennifer Butler from Mildenhall, Suffolk, is leaving behind her kids Tyler, 8, Tristan, 7, and Mia, 4. The single mum started writing to a criminal in a US jail two years ago. She intends to leave them in the UK with family for a year while she goes and sets up a life for them before sending for them

Butler made her first visit to the prison in October, but sadly, Mosier had been involved in a fight with an inmate and had his visiting rights revoked. He had to speak to Butler through a glass screen.

'We weren't allowed to touch because he was a maximum security prisoner at the time,' said Butler to The Sun.

'We had a glass window between us and had to talk through a phone. When I saw him walking down the corridor I knew he was the man for me. We talked for four hours and it felt like I'd known him all my life.'

Eventually, Butler's affair with her prison lover caused controversy with her family who began to worry for her children.

'I knew people wouldn't have a good thing to say because he is an inmate. If he was just a guy from America I'd met online it would be different,' Butler said.

'I've had people ask why I'm not worried for the safety of my children. That cut me deep. To think that because he's a criminal my children would be at risk hurt me. Chris is a brilliant man. He's not a dangerous criminal. He's learnt from his mistakes,' she said.

Pen pals: The pair were exchanging letters every day and eventually she flew to Texas earlier this year to meet him, which is when this picture was taken. They fell in love and now hey are now engaged

Butler traveled to see Mosier in American twice in the space of four months and on her third visit in April, the two became engaged.

Mosier used a piece of grey string to propose - wrapping it around her finger in the visitors room.

Butler swears that she will not let her children fall out of her life, even while she lives in America.

'He held my hand and said how much I meant to him and he got emotional. He never usually does,' said Jennifer to The Sun.

'He then said he wanted to make me happy and asked me to marry him. I just broke down. I said of course I would.'

Free to marry: The prisoner, Chris, is up for parole next year and Jennifer, pictured, plans to marry him on his release

'Leaving my children is not an easy thing to decide to do. But I want to get everything ready for them in America before they move, too,' she said.



'I'm doing this for our future because I want us to be a family. I need to set up a life out there for us and I'll do whatever I can to get them over with us as soon as possible.'



She added, 'I am devoted to my children but they deserve a happy mum too. This relationship will be for me but the life I build is going to be for all of us.'



Butler claims her children are just as happy about her leaving as she is, but because they haven't met their future stepdad yet, she won't be sure until they do.



'My children are excited about eventually moving over there. As kids, they won't realize about me not being around until I'm actually gone. It's going to be hard saying goodbye, but I know I'll see them again soon,” she said.



'It's fine because they know I'm going over there to find us a house and to sort out their schooling. The main thing is that they're excited to get to meet Chris.'

