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Written by Leadership News

A 31-year-old prison officer, Linda De Sousa Abreu, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for engaging in sexual activity with an inmate at HMP Wandsworth in London.

The incident, which was filmed by another prisoner, occurred on June 25, 2024 and lasted nearly five minutes.

The footage, which later went viral on social media, led to De Sousa Abreu’s identification and subsequent arrest at Heathrow Airport on June 28, 2024. She had been attempting to flee to Madrid and had informed the prison during her escape that she would not be returning to work.

De Sousa Abreu pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office on July 29 last year. At her sentencing at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday, Judge Martin Edmunds KC described her actions as “immensely serious,” stating, “You engaged in sexual activity with a prisoner. That compromised your role as an officer and was misconduct which undermines discipline within the prison, putting fellow officers at increased risk.”

The court heard that De Sousa Abreu had a history of poor mental health and trauma. On the day of the incident, she had consented to the sexual activity and agreed to the presence of another inmate, who filmed the act while appearing to smoke cannabis. The video was later shared online without her consent, causing significant repercussions.

Judge Edmunds acknowledged that De Sousa Abreu participated in the encounter with “evident enthusiasm” and had also engaged in sexual activity with the same inmate earlier that day, as well as on a prior occasion. He added: “Whether you intended it or not, the fact is that the video went viral and caused great harm.”

The fallout from the incident extended beyond De Sousa Abreu’s actions. Female officers at HMP Wandsworth reported increased abuse, harassment, and sexual advances from prisoners after the video’s release. Some officers’ children were also teased at school about their parents’ professions. Judge Edmunds remarked, “It is inevitable that the damage for which you were responsible at Wandsworth has spread, to some degree, through the prison estate.”

De Sousa Abreu’s 15-month sentence will see her serve half the time in custody, with the remainder on licence. She also received a 95-day reduction due to wearing an electronic tag for 190 days.

A spokesperson for the Prison Service condemned the incident, emphasising that such behaviour undermined the integrity of the system.

“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 described De Sousa Abreu’s conduct as “a shocking breach of the public’s trust,” adding, “She was clearly an enthusiastic participant who wrongly thought she would avoid responsibility.”


   
   

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