A prison officer has been sentenced to 15 months in jail after confessing to engaging in sexual relations with an inmate in a cell while she was on duty. Charged in June of the previous year after the circulation of a video on social media depicting a prison officer and an inmate at HMP Wandsworth engaged in sexual activity, Linda De Sousa Abreu admitted to misconduct in a public office in July. She faced her sentence today at Isleworth Crown Court.
Appearing in court, De Sousa Abreu confirmed her identity from the dock and seemed close to tears throughout the sentencing. The court ordered that she would spend half of her sentence in custody with the remaining time on licence. Following an electronic tagging period spanning 190 days, she benefitted from a sentence reduction of 95 days, reports the Mirror.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Martin Edmunds KC said to De Sousa Abreu: “You engaged in sexual activity with a prisoner. That compromised your role as an officer, and was misconduct which undermines discipline within the prison, and puts fellow officers at increased risk. You knew that conduct was forbidden and forbidden for good reason.”
She faced allegations of abusing her position by having a sexual liaison with a prisoner in a cell at HMP Wandsworth between the dates of June 26-28, as stated in the charges against her.
The shocking footage, which has gone viral on social media platforms including X, shows the woman, dressed in her uniform, allegedly performing a sexual act with an inmate in a Category B jail in southwest London. The video appears to show her having intercourse with the prisoner while his cellmate records the act on a mobile phone.
A friend is seen seemingly smoking and filming, says: “Guys we’ve made history, this is what I’m telling you.”
While the incident unfolds, colleagues’ voices come through on the officer’s radio, carelessly left on a side table alongside views of the inmate’s clothes strewn across a bunk bed.
At one point, it seems someone attempts to enter the cell; the man capturing the event is heard telling them “Give me a minute, one second.”
The filming prisoner encourages his friend to proceed and briefly directs the camera towards himself, grinning, before declaring: “This is how we roll in Wandsworth.”
Judge Edmunds commented on the repercussions of the clip, stating: “From what I know about you, you were certainly not naive about the media or social media. It must have been obvious that the recording would be shown around and shared, at least amongst prisoners at Wandsworth where it would do the most harm. Whether you intended it or not, the fact is that the video went viral, and caused great harm. Many offenders do not intend the harm that their offending causes, but they nevertheless bear responsibility for it.”
The mother was apprehended at Heathrow Airport ahead of her flight to Madrid, having informed the prison about her travel plans. De Sousa Abreu, who holds a Portuguese passport, pleaded guilty to the charge and was granted conditional bail.
Tetteh Turkson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, previously stated: “This was a shocking breach of the public’s trust. De Sousa was clearly an enthusiastic participant who wrongly thought she would avoid responsibility. The CPS recognises there is no excuse for any prison officer who conducts themselves in such a manner, and we will never hesitate to prosecute those who abuse their position of power.”
“After working closely with the Metropolitan Police to build the strongest possible case, De Sousa had no option but accept she was guilty. She will now rightly face the consequences of her actions.”
A spokesperson for HMP Prison Service stated at the time the video emerged: “Staff corruption is not tolerated and the former prison officer allegedly featured in this video has been reported to the police. It would be inappropriate to comment further while they investigate.”
However, it can also refer to more subtle actions that compromise the integrity of the system, such as divulging sensitive information. All forms of corruption must be condemned and addressed.
Corruption has caused distrust and cynicism among the general public. On Monday, Eloise Marshall KC, prosecuting, relayed that Abreu had requested for the judge to take into account two additional matters when sentencing her.
“The first one is one previous occasion of sexual intercourse with the same prisoner (Weirich),” Ms Marshall explained. She went on to confirm that the second occurrence, which happened on the same date, involved a different inmate and coincided with the day of the recorded incident involving Weirich; this second instance was described as “relates to oral sex” and “partially recorded on her own prison-issued body-worn camera”.
The court learned that Abreu, originally from Venezuela and a holder of a Portuguese passport, has one past conviction from 2014, bearing “no relevance” to the current case. Following her arrest, De Sousa Abreu, providing a written statement, alleged she was in fear for her safety before committing the offences.
She narrated: “I thought if I didn’t go along with it, they [the prisoners] would have both raped me and there was no guard on the landing. All the prisoners were out on the third landing, no-one was banged up, it was very loud and everyone was out. I was too scared to reach for my whistle and blow it – no-one would have heard, they would have seriously assaulted me if I’d tried to get the whistle. At all times I was acting under duress.”
Ms Marshall stated that this account had been shown to be “entirely false” and that De Sousa Abreu had “never made any complaints to the prison about any incidents involving her”. She added: “The crown say there is premeditation and clearly some planning. She had to make sure she would be on the wing alone with him in order to do this, she also arranged for (the second prisoner) to be present to keep watch while it went on.”
“We say the act was undoubtedly deliberate and intentional in terms of planning . [It was] an intentional breach of her duties as a prison officer. She had the necessary training and knew what her duties were and was aware she had to maintain a professional relationship with the prisoners.”
“She has undermined the authority of all prison staff – she specifically and severely undermined the positive effect that a female officer can have in male environment in a male prison, and how a female officer may be perceived. [She also] undermined the trust of prisoners and the integrity of the staff.”
HMP Wandsworth governor Andrew Davy said in a statement read to the court: “It has taken many years for female staff to be respected and treated professionally in a male dominated environment. The action of this defendant has undone years of positive and rewarding prisoner interactions in less than a day.”
Rajiv Menon, KC, defending, highlighted that Abreu has “taken full responsibility for her actions” and pointed out the “conditions she was working in at Wandsworth prison. She accepts full responsibility for engaging consensually in sexual activity with the prisoners and accepts full responsibility for allowing that encounter to be filmed – no ifs and no buts.”
In a recent incident, another female prison officer was taken into custody after allegedly being caught on camera having sex with an inmate. The video of the guard’s intimate encounter with the male prisoner circulated among inmates at HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire, as reported by the Sun newspaper.
A representative for the prison stated: “A prison custody officer has been suspended and arrested by Northamptonshire Police on suspicion of misconduct in a public office. It would be inappropriate to comment further while they investigate.”
HMP Five Wells is under the private management of G4S.