Hidden world of prison guard & inmate affairs after Wandsworth officer Linda de Sousa Abreu charged over sex video
THE HIDDEN world of prison guards romping with inmates has been revealed, following an alleged encounter at HMP Wandsworth.
Footage allegedly showing a prisoner having sex with an officer at the south London prison emerged on Friday.
An X-rated clip was allegedly filmed inside a prison cell by another lag, before being shared widely on social media and WhatsApp.
Linton Weirich, 36, was caged in April after carrying out a raid on a property in Kensington, west London, in March 2022.
Snaps on his Instagram show the lag with a tattoo matching that of the man in the video.
Former prison officer Linda de Sousa Abreu, 30, from Fulham, appeared at Uxbridge magistrates’ court on Monday charged with misconduct in public office following the viral video.
She will appear at Isleworth Crown Court on July 29.
TWO OFFICERS, ONE LAG
Two female prison workers who had an illicit relationship with the same inmate at the same time were sentenced in March 2024.
Aleesha Bates, 29, and Jodie Wilkes, 27, both got involved with the lag while working at HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale.
The pair, who previously admitted misconduct in public office, were sentenced at Bolton Crown Court on March 27.
Bates was jailed for two years and eight months, while Wilkes was spared jail and instead handed a 12-month sentence suspended for two years.
The court heard how Bates first got into a relationship with the inmate in December 2019 while she was working as a prison officer.
She sent the prisoner, who was jailed for drug trafficking offences, X-rated messages and naked photos of herself.
Wilkes then began seeing him in April 2020, with the pair both involved with him at the same time for two months.
She was an operational support grade (OSG), which involves “supporting the smooth and safe running of the prison”.
Police searching the prisoner’s cell found a mobile phone that exposed the relationships.
In one text, Bates had told him: “I want you 24/7. I can’t get enough of you.
“If I had it my way I would be on the phone to you every single moment.”
The pair had also exchanged X-rated photos and videos – although Bates denied there was any physical sexual contact.
Messages also revealed the prisoner had threatened Bates after she borrowed money from him and his family.
One said if she failed to return the money, would “sent two people to her house to smash her head in”.
Bates later told police she had been manipulated and “fell in love” with the prisoner.
Bob Elias, defending, said the “track record” of the prisoner who had acted as a “seducer” needed to be considered.
He told the court Bates had been “ensnared” by him and had “crossed the line” but she had been “vulnerable”.
Wilkes meanwhile accepted she had engaged in “an improper association” and confirmed she was not “manipulated” by the lag.
Judge Elliot Knopf said the gross breach of trust reached its “ultimate level” in Bates’ case.
He added: “Yes, you were ensnared [by the prisoner] but he identified you as someone who could be approached and you did not have to accept that approach.”
STORE CUPBOARD ROMPS
A female prison officer caught on camera romping in a store cupboard with an inmate was jailed in January this year.
Shania Begum, 25, had sex with Joshua Mulllings after striking up the “inappropriate relationship” while working at HMP Birmingham.
A court heard the pair would “repeatedly” head to the room for “play fighting, flirting, heavy petting and penetrative sex”.
But their secret rendezvous inside the Cat B lockup were rumbled when prison bosses became suspicious, installed a camera and caught them red-handed.
The CCTV showed Begum giving Mr Mullings oral sex on two occasions and ignoring her radio when it went off.
The illicit lovers were even interrupted by other members of staff and on one occasion Begum couldn’t be found for around an hour.
Misconduct in public office
LINDA de Sousa Abreu was charged with misconduct in public office following the viral video
Misconduct in public office, MiPO, is a common law offence that can be tried only on indictment.
It carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The offence concerns serious wilful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held.
There must be a direct link between the misconduct and an abuse of those powers or responsibilities.
The offence is committed when:
- a public officer acting as such
- wilfully neglects to perform their duty and/or wilfully misconducts themselves
- to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder
- without reasonable excuse or justification
Daniel Oscroft, prosecuting, had said Begum had worked as an officer at the prison since December 3, 2018.
Birmingham Crown Court was previously told that Mr Mullings was among a number of prisoners responsible for keeping the cupboard tidy.
But an anti-corruption probe was carried out after prison intelligence led bosses to believe Begum was having a relationship with the prisoner.
Cameras were placed inside the cupboard and between September 22 and 29, 2022, the pair were “observed engaging in sexual activity”.
When Begum was arrested her phone was seized and her internet browsing history revealed she had had an interest in Mr Mullings and media reports written about him.
Andrew Baker, defending, had said Begum felt “cherished” by the prisoner who had been exploiting her and was “deeply remorseful” for the behaviour.
He said time pressure placed on her by an arranged marriage caused her to behave in an “out of character way.”
Sentencing, Judge John Butterfield told Begum what she had done had a “corrosive effect” on the prison system.
Begum, of Telford, Shrops., who had previously admitted misconduct in a public office, was sentenced to 16 months in prison.
‘FLIRTY’ CALLS
A prison nurse sobbed as she was jailed in October 2022 for engaging in “flirtatious” calls and text messages with an inmate over Instagram.
Elyse Hibbs, from Manchester, admitted misconduct in public office by having an “inappropriate relationship” with the prisoner while working at HMP Parc in Bridgend.
Hibbs, who the court heard was “manipulated” by the inmate and got in “too deep”, began weeping as she was sentenced to six months in prison at Cardiff Crown Court in October 2022.
Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told Hibbs that despite her clear remorse, the offence was “too serious” and warranted immediate custody.
The court heard how Hibbs, who was 25 at the time of sentencing, had worked at the category B prison in South Wales since September 2018 and met the inmate when she gave him medical treatment.
After concerns were raised about the inmates’ behaviour he was moved to HMP Manchester in May 2021.
A month later, in June, the inmate used his mother and a friend to track down Hibbs on Instagram.
After Hibbs gave them her mobile number, she and the inmate began having three-way calls which involved his friend “holding two phones together so that they could talk to each other”.
Matthew Cobbe, prosecuting, had said over the next five weeks and five days the inmate “nurtured” his relationship with Hibbs.
They exchanged numerous text and calls – some of which were over the prison phone and recorded.
Hibbs was jailed for six months after she admitted misconduct in a public office.
The nurse claimed she was “pressurised” into flirting with the lag, who was described as a “particularly manipulative individual”.
LOVE LETTERS
Katie Loxton, 27, sparked a sordid six-month relationship with inmate Adam Higgs, 32.
The secret lovers met while Loxton was working at HMP Oakwood in Staffordshire, but were rumbled when colleagues became suspicious of the amount of time they spent together.
After a police investigation it was discovered the 27-year-old had created a fake identity to chat to Higgs through the phone in his cell.
The pair racked up over 3,450 calls over 380 hours, during which they often had phone sex.
Higgs was also taking advantage of a phone he had smuggled to message the shamed prison officer on social media.
When officers searched the disgraced prison guard’s home they uncovered more evidence of the affair.
As well as their flirty phone chats, Higgs had penned love letters to his prison officer lover.
The affair saw Loxton jailed a for year for misconduct in a public office.
Meanwhile, Higgs was handed an eight-month stint earlier this month for possessing a device capable of transmitting or receiving images, sounds or information by electronic communications.
Detective Constable Adam McHugh, of Staffordshire Police, said: “Loxton and Higgs were able to manipulate the security measures of the prison telephony system to hide their relationship from officers and inmates.
“We are committed to upholding the values and conduct the public expected of Public Office workers.
“I’m happy that Loxton recognised her conduct had fallen short of the expected standard.”
RELATIONSHIP WITH A KILLER
Mum-of-three Lauren McIntyre engaged in a forbidden relationship with a convicted double-murderer at Albany Prison on the Isle of Wight.
Prison officer McIntyre had 11-week-old twins and a five-year-old at the time she sparked her twisted affair.
The 32-year-old began having a sexual relationship with Andrew Roberts, 22, while he was caged for brutally strangling his girlfriend Louise L’Homme and their eight-month-old daughter Tia, to death.
Their affair started when Roberts gave her the number of his banned mobile phone.
They sent sexual pictures to each other, and McIntyre even allowed Roberts to try and send her money.
She also admitted to giving Roberts the phone number of fellow prison officer Samuel Laidler.
This gave killer Roberts the opportunity to assault him in a jailhouse attack.
McIntyre failed to warn her colleague or the prison authorities of the impending beating.
The mum-of-three’s defence barrister argued the relationship had not escalated to sexual intercourse but had mainly been inappropriate touching.
She also claimed the affair had started as an undercover job to get information on the prisoner – although this was shot down by the prosecution.
McIntyre admitted four charges of misconduct in a public office and was jailed for three years in 2021.
‘NEVER FELT LOVE LIKE IT’
Elsewhere in the UK, a female prison officer fell for a convicted robber and drug dealer.
Aisha Golsby, 23, couldn’t resist Deano Harrison, 21, who was caged at HMP Portland in Dorset.
She contacted the young inmate on Instagram via a contraband phone he had smuggled into his cell.
Golsby was so infatuated with Harrison she even tipped him off about cell searches to protect him.
The inmate kept his prison officer girlfriend sweet, telling her he had “never felt love like it”, while the 23-year-old confessed she trusted him with her heart.
After five months of sneaking around, the pair’s bombshell relationship was exposed when a colleague saw texts on Golsby’s phone.
In one message, Harrison told his online lover: “I have not felt like this about anyone. I never thought it would get deep, I didn’t think I would get attached to you. I’ve never felt love for someone in such a small amount of time.”
She messaged him shortly before they were caught, saying: “I trusted you with my whole f***ing heart, I really hope what you are saying is true”.
In light of suspicion surrounding their tryst, Harrison was moved to another prison, but the determined inmate still tried to contact Golsby.
She admitted to him she was thinking of him in “affectionate terms”.
The 23-year-old was eventually suspended before quitting two months later.
Golsby was jailed for 16 months at Bournemouth Crown Court earlier this month after pleading guilty to three counts of misconduct in a public office.
Harrison pleaded guilty to having a banned mobile phone, in prison and had six months added to his previous sentence.
MULTIPLE LOVERS
Emma Webster was jailed last year after sending x-rated pictures and love letters to two inmate boyfriends.
While working as a prison officer at HMP Lincoln, the 34-year-old embarked on several “inappropriate” relationships.
Bradley Brammall shared 17 calls with Webster during which they fantasied about having sex with each other.
The inmate also asked Webster if someone could perform a sex act on him, but when his request was not fulfilled the sordid affair came to an abrupt end.
But just over a week later, after being transferred to the night shift, the prison officer set her sights on another inmate.
The mum-of-two was so infatuated with prisoner Jimmy Bennett she would sign off love letters as “your future wife”.
She also sent the prisoner underwear pics throughout the affair.
At Lincoln Crown Court she was sentenced to 14 months in jail for misconduct in public office from August 18, 2021 to November 14, 2021.