A former HMP Wandsworth prison officer, Linda De Sousa Abreu, has been sentenced to 15 months in jail after being filmed having sex with an inmate.
Abreu, 30, was identified by senior prison staff after the video went viral online. Governor Andrew Davy of Wandsworth criticized her actions, stating they undid years of progress by female officers in male prisons in “less than a day.”
Linda De Sousa Abreu has been jailed for having sex with a prison inmate while she was working as a prison officer. (Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
She was arrested at Heathrow Airport while attempting to fly to Madrid with her father and had previously pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office.
In a written statement to Isleworth Crown Court, Governor Davy disclosed that female staff had reported increased harassment from inmates, who now see them as “fair game.”
The incident took place between June 26 and 28. The Metropolitan Police revealed that another recording of Abreu performing a sex act on the same inmate was found on her prison-issued body-worn camera. Abreu admitted to having sex with the prisoner on a separate occasion.
Judge Martin Edmunds KC described her actions as part of a repeated pattern rather than an isolated incident.
A Prison Service spokesperson reiterated the organization’s commitment to holding staff to high standards, noting enhanced vetting and counter-corruption measures. The spokesperson confirmed that robust action would be taken against staff who break the rules.
The Prison Officers’ Association acknowledged the existence of a small number of corrupt staff whose actions undermine the efforts of others.
