HMP Wandsworth prison officer who was filmed having sex with inmate pleads guilty to misconduct
Linda De Sousa Abreu was arrested by police at Heathrow Airport after footage of her encounter with the inmate went viral on social media.
Monday 29 July 2024 16:20, UK
A prison officer who was filmed having sex with an inmate has pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office.
Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, was on duty at HMP Wandsworth in London when she entered the prisoner's cell and had sex with him on 27 June.
The encounter was filmed by another inmate and lasted for almost five minutes.
The mother, from Fulham, southwest London, was identified by HMP Wandsworth staff and arrested by the Metropolitan Police at Heathrow Airport after the footage went viral.
She was planning to fly to Madrid and telephoned the prison as she fled to the airport to say that she was not returning to work.
De Sousa Abreu pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in a public office at a hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday.
Abuse of position
The prosecution's case was that she had wilfully committed misconduct in a public office by abusing her position as a prison officer to have sex with an inmate.
De Sousa Abreu, who holds a Portuguese passport, was granted conditional bail and will next appear at Isleworth Crown Court on 7 November.
Tetteh Turkson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This was a shocking breach of the public's trust. De Sousa was clearly an enthusiastic participant who wrongly thought she would avoid responsibility.
"The CPS recognises there is no excuse for any prison officer who conducts themselves in such a manner, and we will never hesitate to prosecute those who abuse their position of power.
"After working closely with the Metropolitan Police to build the strongest possible case, De Sousa had no option but accept she was guilty. She will now rightly face the consequences of her actions."
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Deep concerns over HMP Wandsworth
The video of De Sousa Abreu emerged weeks after a watchdog said HMP Wandsworth should be put into emergency measures after an inspection raised concerns over ongoing failings in security following the alleged escape of Daniel Khalife in September last year.
The "deeply concerning inspection" also found severe overcrowding, vermin, drugs, violence and rising self-harm, where seven prisoners had taken their own lives in the past year.
In response, the chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor wrote to the justice secretary Alex Chalk to issue an urgent notification for improvement.
Khalife, 22, is due to go on trial at the Old Bailey in October.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.