A former HMP Wandsworth prison guard who was caught on camera having sex with an inmate was given a 15-month prison sentence.
The BBC reports that after the obscene video went viral online, senior jail staff identified Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30. She was caught trying to get on an aircraft to Madrid with her father at Heathrow Airport.
In addition to admitting to having sex with the same prisoner on another occasion, Abreu had previously entered a guilty plea to misconduct in public office. Another recording of her engaging in sexual activity with the inmate was found on her body-worn camera, the court was informed.
When imposing the sentence at Isleworth Crown Court, Judge Martin Edmunds KC stated: “This was not an isolated incident.” It involves multiple betrayals of confidence in a correctional environment.
In a written statement, Andrew Davy, the governor of HMP Wandsworth, acknowledged the negative effects of Abreu’s acts and disclosed that they had damaged the standing of female employees in male prisons. “Years of work by female officers to establish professionalism and trust have been undone in less than a day,” Davy stated.
According to a Prison Service representative, “By strengthening our Counter Corruption Unit and vetting processes, we’re catching more of the small minority who break the rules, even though the vast majority of Prison Service staff are honest and hardworking.”
“As today’s sentencing shows, we won’t hesitate to take strong action when officers do not meet our high standards.”
According to the Prison Officers’ Association, which advocates for inmates, there are a few dishonest employees that undercut the efforts of other staff members.
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