WATCH: Prison Officer Caught Having Quality S3x With Inmate
A 31-year-old prison officer, Linda De Sousa Abreu, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for engaging in se3ual activity with an inmate at HMP Wandsworth in London.
The incident, which took place on June 25, 2024, was recorded by another prisoner and later circulated widely on social media.
The footage, lasting nearly five minutes, led to De Sousa Abreuโs identification and subsequent investigation.
Authorities arrested De Sousa Abreu at Heathrow Airport on June 28, 2024, as she attempted to flee to Madrid. She had informed the prison of her resignation, stating she would not return 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 โimmensely serious,โ stating, โYou engaged in se3ual 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.โ
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 se3ual 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 โevident enthusiasmโ and had also engaged in sexual activity with the same inmate earlier that day, as well as on a prior occasion. He added: โWhether you intended it or not, the fact is that the video went viral and caused great harm.โ
The fallout from the incident extended beyond De Sousa Abreuโs actions. Female officers at HMP Wandsworth reported increased abuse, harassment, and sexual advances from prisoners after the videoโs release. Some officersโ children were also teased at school about their parentsโ professions. Judge Edmunds remarked, โIt is inevitable that the damage for which you were responsible at Wandsworth has spread, to some degree, through the prison estate.โ
De Sousa Abreuโs 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.
โWhile the overwhelming majority of Prison Service staff are hardworking and honest, weโre catching more of the small minority who break the rules by bolstering our Counter Corruption Unit and strengthening our vetting processes. As todayโs sentencing demonstrates, where officers do fall below our high standards, we wonโt hesitate to take robust action.โ
Tetteh Turkson of the Crown Prosecution Service described De Sousa Abreuโs conduct as โa shocking breach of the publicโs trust,โ adding, โShe was clearly an enthusiastic participant who wrongly thought she would avoid responsibility.โ
