Record number of female prison guards are fired for having sex with male inmates in the past three years – with 29 officers given the sack
In the past three years, a record number of female prison guards have been fired for having sex with male prisoners, with 29 of them being dismissed.
For comparison, between 2017 and 2019, only nine people lost their jobs for the same offense.
Some guards even had holes cut in their uniforms to facilitate sexual acts, The sun has reported.
New figures from the Ministry of Justice show that a staggering 50 out of 124 investigations into “inappropriate relationships” in British prisons have been upheld.
Some of the prison guards involved were not fired, but suspended to other positions.
The huge rise in figures comes after a married prison officer from HMP Wandsworth, who was videotaped having sex with a prisoner, accused inmates of blackmailing her into filming the porn clip.
Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, admitted to having sex with serial burglar Linton Weirich in his jail cell at the scene of a scandal, but says she only agreed after Lags threatened to expose her career as an amateur porn star.
Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, was filmed having sex with serial burglar Linton Weirich in his cell at HMP Wandsworth
She said she only agreed to participate after Lags threatened to make her career as an amateur porn star public
Pictured: The exterior of HMP Wandsworth in London
De Sousa Abreu, who claims she has since “found faith in God”, pleaded guilty to one charge of misconduct in public office at a hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday.
Her close friend Hayley, who would only give her first name, told MailOnline that the circumstances surrounding the incident will be made public when De Sousa returns to court in November to determine her sentence.
She said: ‘There is much more to this story than people think. Some prisoners had gotten hold of Linda’s personal details.
“They knew her address, her husband’s name, and that she had an OnlyFans account. She was put under a lot of pressure and there was a lot of coercion involved.”
Hayley continued: ‘Linda was having a really hard time at work because of all this. And she was also having problems in her marriage.
“She is devastated by what happened and full of remorse. It has completely destroyed her and she is trying to rebuild her life.”
De Sousa Abreu lives in a sprawling social housing estate in Fulham, close to where Weirich grew up.
Hayley added: ‘It wasn’t difficult for the other prisoners to get Linda’s details and find out things about her private life.’
De Sousa Abreu, who has Portuguese nationality, is still married to her husband, with whom she has an eight-year-old daughter.
Linda De Sousa Abreu (right) had sex with a prisoner on video at HMP Wandsworth
She was filmed on a mobile phone while having sex with inmate Linton Weirich (photo)
De Sousa Abreu (pictured in a sketch by a court artist) pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in a public office and was released on bail ahead of her sentencing in November
Hayley said: “They are a lovely couple and are working hard to save their marriage. It hasn’t been easy for them. People try to paint Linda as some kind of sex monster, but that’s not the case at all.
“She’s a very kind and caring person who made a terrible mistake. We all do things wrong in life and people shouldn’t be so quick to judge her.”
The June 27 encounter was filmed by another inmate and went viral on social media. MailOnline later revealed that De Sousa Abreu has appeared on TV swinging shows and has an OnlyFans account.
She was subsequently identified by staff at HMP Wandsworth and arrested by the Metropolitan Police at Heathrow Airport as she attempted to fly to Madrid.
Earlier, 30-year-old prison guard Aleesha Bates was given a two-year and eight-month prison sentence and 27-year-old Jodie Wilkes was given a 12-month suspended sentence for an intimate love triangle with a prisoner at HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale.
Bates was the first to enter into a relationship with the man, who was jailed for drug trafficking, Bolton Crown Court heard earlier this year.
She became ‘completely in love’ with him, sending him erotic messages and nude photos of herself and even making plans for a future together once he was released.
Wilkes, the prosecutor and operational support (OSG), did not acknowledge having a relationship with the inmate, who had a “history” of friendships with female prison staff, but that she had an “inappropriate relationship” with him.
Prison officer Bates (pictured) was the first to enter into a relationship with the man, who was jailed for drug trafficking, Bolton Crown Court heard.
Wilkes (pictured), of the Operational Support Department (OSG), did not admit to having a relationship with the prisoner, who had a “history” of friendships with female prison staff.
Bates was questioned but initially denied having a relationship with the man, while Wilkes admitted giving him her number and contacting him – and both subsequently resigned
According to prosecutor Brian Berlyne, Bates’ relationship with the man, which she had between December 2019 and June 2020, came to light after prison authorities received information that they had become “intimate.”
He was a prisoner on the wing where she was stationed and when his cell was searched, a cell phone was found hidden in a stereo system.
According to Mr Berlyne, telephone records show that there was contact between the man and Bates. There are also photos of them together and they exchange ‘sexually explicit messages’.
The phone records also showed the inmate had contact with Wilkes.
Both women were arrested in June 2020 and their phones were seized by police.
MailOnline has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.