EXCLUSIVE:
A married prison worker accused of having an illicit relationship with an inmate has been spotted shopping for snacks ahead of her first court appearance.
Mother-of-two Jessica Jade Elguindy, whose father is a decorated senior corrections officer, stocked up on sweets at a petrol station in Sydney’s west on Wednesday afternoon.
Elguindy was arrested at her Spring Farm home in Sydney’s south-west last Friday and charged with having a relationship with a prisoner that created a security risk.
The 25-year-old was also charged with accessing/altering restricted computer data and misconduct as a holder of a public office.
Amber Clavell, another employee at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Center in Sydney’s northwest, has been charged with the same offenses as Elguindy, and with bringing drugs into the prison.
Prison worker Jessica Elguindy, who is accused of having an illicit relationship with an inmate, has been spotted shopping for snacks ahead of her first court appearance
Elguindy’s husband Mitch Haden arrived at the couple’s home shortly before she went grocery shopping on Wednesday.
When asked yesterday whether he or his wife would comment on the allegations she faced, Mr Haden’s first response was a curt: “F*** off.”
“No one has any comments for you, leave us alone, you guys twist everything anyway you want,” he wrote in a follow-up post on Facebook.
Elguindy is an administrative assistant at Corrective Services NSW and has been employed by the department for the past six years, according to an online profile.
Her father Walid ‘Wally’ Elguindy worked in the prison system for thirty years and is general director of strategic population management.
Two years ago he was awarded the Australian Corrections Medal, the highest award given specifically to prison staff on the Australia Day Honors List.
Prison employee Jessica Jade Elguindy has been charged with engaging in a relationship with an inmate posing a security risk, accessing/altering computer data and misconduct as a holder of a public office
Elguindy’s husband Mitch Haden was brief when asked if he or his wife would comment on her circumstances. “F*** off,” he said. The couple is in the photo
When contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday, Mr Elguindy said he was not in a position to comment on his daughter’s circumstances.
“I have nothing to say about that at this time,” Mr. Elguindy said. “It’s a difficult time and I can’t say anything about it at the moment.”
Detectives from the Corrective Services Investigation Unit within the NSW Police Force began an investigation into Jessica Elguindy in January.
Investigators had received reports of an allegedly inappropriate relationship between Elguindy and a male inmate at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Center.
During the course of that investigation, another prison employee, 25-year-old Clavell, is alleged to have been involved in similar behavior at the same prison.
Jessica Elguindy’s father Walid ‘Wally’ Elguindy has worked in the prison system for 30 years and is general manager of strategic population management for Corrective Services NSW
Clavell was arrested at the jail on April 23 and charged with having a relationship with an inmate that created a risk to safety.
She is also charged with introducing a prohibited drug into a prison, supplying a prohibited drug and two counts of accessing/altering restricted computer data.
On April 24, police arrested two inmates, aged 27 and 30, at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Center and charged both with using/possession of a mobile phone in prison.
The Australian newspaper has reported that images taken with a smuggled phone are circulating in the prison and are relevant to the investigation.
The Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Center in Berkshire Park is a minimum security facility for men and is part of the Francis Greenway Correctional Complex.
Investigators received reports of an alleged inappropriate relationship between Elguindy and an inmate at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Center in Berkshire Park
The other prisons in the complex are the maximum security John Morony Correctional Center for men and the maximum security Dillwynia Correctional Center for women.
Under Elguindy’s bail conditions, she is not allowed to communicate with Clavell or approach a NSW prison without permission from the director of prison services.
Clavell is not allowed to have any contact with prosecution witnesses or alleged co-offenders and faces the same restrictions when it comes to prison visits.
A spokesperson for Corrective Services NSW said the department was aware of two staff members who had been charged with various offences.
“As the matter is before the courts, it would be inappropriate to comment further,” the spokesperson said.
Clavell and Elguindy will appear in Penrith District Court on May 15 and 29 respectively. The prisoners will appear before the same court on June 5.