A former prison officer at HMP Wandsworth has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after being caught on video engaging in sexual activity with an inmate.
According to the BBC, Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, was identified by senior prison staff after the explicit video surfaced online and quickly went viral. She was apprehended at Heathrow Airport while attempting to board a flight to Madrid with her father.
Abreu, who had earlier pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office, also admitted to having sexual relations with the same inmate on a separate occasion. The court was told that another recording of her performing a sexual act with the prisoner was discovered on her body-worn camera.
Judge Martin Edmunds KC, while delivering the sentence at Isleworth Crown Court, said: “This was not an isolated incident. It involved repeated breaches of trust in a custodial setting.”
The governor of HMP Wandsworth, Andrew Davy, expressed the impact of Abreu’s actions in a written statement, revealing that her behavior had tarnished the reputation of female staff in male prisons. “It has taken less than a day to undo years of effort by female officers to build trust and professionalism,” Davy said.
A spokesperson for the Prison Service said: “While the overwhelming majority of Prison Service staff are hardworking and honest, we’re catching more of the small minority who break the rules by bolstering our Counter Corruption Unit and strengthening our vetting processes.
“As today’s sentencing demonstrates, where officers do fall below our high standards we won’t hesitate to take robust action.”
The Prison Officers’ Association, which represents prison staff, said it acknowledged there were a small number of corrupt staff working in prisons who undermined the work of others.
