Linda De Sousa Abreu, 31, was filmed having sex with an inmate while on duty at HMP Wandsworth in London last year. She later pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office.
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A prison officer who was filmed having sex with an inmate has been sentenced to 15 months in jail.
Linda De Sousa Abreu, 31, was on duty at the HMP Wandsworth in London when she entered the prisoner’s cell and had sex with him on 25 June.
The encounter was filmed by another inmate and lasted for almost five minutes.
She was identified by HMP Wandsworth staff and arrested by the Metropolitan at Heathrow Airport on 28 June, after the footage went viral on social media the day prior.
The mother-of-one was planning to fly to Madrid and telephoned the prison as she fled to the airport to say that she was not returning to work.
De Sousa Abreu pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office on 29 July last year.
During sentencing at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday, Judge Martin Edmunds KC said the former officer “knew that conduct was forbidden, and forbidden for good reason”, and that the offence and harm caused “was immensely serious”.
He added: “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.”
The court heard De Sousa Abreu had a history of poor mental health and trauma, and had consented to sexual activity with the prisoner on the day of the incident.
It also heard she agreed to a second prisoner – who later sent the video to a friend, who posted the video online – being present and filming the activity while appearing to smoke cannabis.
The judge said she “participated with evident enthusiasm”, but did not consent to the recording being published online.
De Sousa Abreu also requested the judge consider two other offences – one being sexual activity with the prisoner earlier that day, and the other being a separate sexual encounter with the prisoner within at least three to four days of the main offence.
Prison staff ‘subject to abuse’ after video
Judge Edmunds then said “Whether you intended it or not, the fact is that the video went viral, and caused great harm” to female officers at HMP Wandsworth.
He noted some officers said that after the recording, they were “subject to abuse and harassment from prisoners” as well as being subjected to sexual approaches and being seen as “fair game”.
Other officers claimed their children were teased at school over what their mothers may do at work after the video was released.
“It is inevitable that the damage for which you were responsible at Wandsworth has spread, to some degree, through the prison estate,” the judge added.
De Sousa Abreu was sentenced to 15 months in prison and told she would serve half her time in custody and the rest on licence.
She was also entitled to a 95-day reduction after it was revealed that she had been wearing an electronic tag for 190 days.
A Prison Service spokesperson said after sentencing: “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.”
Tetteh Turkson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, also said last year that the incident was “a shocking breach of the public’s trust,” and that De Sousa Abreu “was clearly an enthusiastic participant who wrongly thought she would avoid responsibility”
from: www.skynews.com
