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Prison officer sentenced for engaging in sexual activity with inmate

Published

21 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Prison officer sentenced for engaging in sexual activity with inmate

A 31-year-old prison officer, Linda De Sousa Abreu, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for engaging in sexual 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 Abreu’s 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 “immensely serious,” stating, “You engaged in sexual 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.”

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 sexual 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.

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Judge Edmunds acknowledged that De Sousa Abreu participated in the encounter with “evident enthusiasm” and had also engaged in sexual activity with the same inmate earlier that day, as well as on a prior occasion. He added: “Whether you intended it or not, the fact is that the video went viral and caused great harm.”

The fallout from the incident extended beyond De Sousa Abreu’s actions. Female officers at HMP Wandsworth reported increased abuse, harassment, and sexual advances from prisoners after the video’s release. Some officers’ children were also teased at school about their parents’ professions. Judge Edmunds remarked, “It is inevitable that the damage for which you were responsible at Wandsworth has spread, to some degree, through the prison estate.”

De Sousa Abreu’s 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.

“While the overwhelming majority of Prison Service staff are hardworking and honest, we’re catching more of the small minority who break the rules by bolstering our Counter Corruption Unit and strengthening our vetting processes. As today’s sentencing demonstrates, where officers do fall below our high standards, we won’t hesitate to take robust action.”

Tetteh Turkson of the Crown Prosecution Service described De Sousa Abreu’s conduct as “a shocking breach of the public’s trust,” adding, “She was clearly an enthusiastic participant who wrongly thought she would avoid responsibility.”

Prison officer sentenced for engaging in sexual activity with inmate

Related Topics:Prison officer sexual activity

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The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Binta Adamu Bello, has shared the story of a human trafficking victim who was maltreated by her taskmaster in Baghdad, Iraq.

The DG of NAPTIP said the victim, Miss Odunayo Eniola Isaac, was assigned to work for an Iraqi family of eight, working 20 hours daily with little or no rest.

She said Miss Isaac’s ordeal started when she requested to be paid after working for four months.

According to the DG, each time Miss Isaac asked for her remuneration or spoke about it, she suffered a beating which resulted in bleeding and bodily injuries.

She added that, at one point, Miss Isaac’s employer bound her hands and feet and threw her into the dogs’ cage until 3 am before she was released to continue with her work.

Miss Isaac arrived in Nigeria from Baghdad a few days ago following a viral video and media reports that escalated her ordeal in the hands of the Iraqi taskmaster.

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Her return was facilitated by NAPTIP in collaboration with other partners, including members of civil society organizations and foreign agencies.

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She also charged the officers to conduct counselling and interview sessions with Miss Isaac to ascertain her medical status, the nature of assistance needed, and her immediate psychosocial need.

The DG, while receiving Miss Isaac at the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja, expressed sadness over the traumatic experience and the hardship she faced.

The Director General, in a statement by the Press Officer of the agency, Vincent Adekoye, said: “I just finished interaction with the victim. I must say that she had a close shave with death and we are all happy that she is alive to tell her painful story.

“On 22nd January 2023, she left Nigeria and arrived in Baghdad, Iraq the next day; 23rd January 2023 and was received at the Airport by officials of WB Warani Manpower (Company she was registered to work for). She was taken to the hospital on the 24th of January, 2023, to certify she was medically fit for the job she would be assigned to do.

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“Her Iraqi Agent, Alhaja Shakirat Yusuf, whom she knows as only ‘Mama Uganda’, came to WB Warani Manpower to sign her in officially on the 25th January 2023 and was assigned to work for an Iraqi family of eight (six children and two parents) on 29th of January 2023. Her work hours span about twenty hours a day, with little or no resting time.

“According to Miss Odunayo, after one month of work, she requested her salary, and her madam said that, because of the high commission in paying money into Nigeria accounts, she would be paid every two months, and she agreed, but after four months, and she still was not paid. Her ordeal then began when she dared to request payment.

“Her phone was confiscated to prevent communication with members of her family. Each time she asked for her remuneration or spoke about it, she suffered a beating resulting in bleeding and bodily injuries. That, at one point, her madam bound her hands and feet and threw her into the dogs’ cage until 3 am before she was released to continue with her work.

“Because of her level of exploitation and trauma, I have directed the relevant department and operatives of the Agency to commence immediate profiling, interview, and the comprehensive process of rehabilitation for her. This is to enable the Agency to assess her medical status, the nature of assistance and skills needed, and to design a part of ensuring her reunion with her family”.

The DG assured that NAPTIP would do the needful to ensure justice for her.

She urged the youths and parents to be careful before jumping at enticing job offers abroad.

“I wish to use this opportunity to thank all our partners, the Federal Ministry of Foreign, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Embassies and Nigeria Mission abroad, other partnering Ministry, Department and Agencies (MDAs), Hope Haven Foundation, the Media and other stakeholders, for a successful collaboration and support which resulted in the eventual arrival of Miss Eniola Isacc.

“It is also important to advise our youths and parents to always be careful and think twice before jumping at any juicy offer of jobs abroad. Over the past few months, we have intercepted scores of youths, mostly girls, at various points of exit across Nigeria, and their destinations have been some of the volatile countries in the Middle East.

“Certainly, a dangerous journey of this nature could have been avoided with simple caution and a check from NAPTIP”, Bello said.

Miss Isaac, said: “I thank God that I am alive. I will not wish that my enemy passes through what I experienced. I never thought I could survive the painful ordeal.”