Prison officer admits sex with inmate in cell

A HMP Wandsworth prison officer who was filmed having sex with an inmate has admitted misconduct in a public office.

Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, was on duty at the south London prison when she entered the prisoner’s cell on 27 June and had sex with him. The encounter was filmed by another inmate and went viral on social media.

She was subsequently identified by HMP Wandsworth staff and was arrested by the Metropolitan Police at Heathrow Airport.

De Sousa Abreu, 30, of Fulham, south-west London, pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in a public office at a hearing at Isleworth Crown Court.

The prosecution’s case was that De Sousa Abreu had wilfully committed misconduct in a public office by abusing her position as prison officer to have sex with an inmate.

She telephoned the prison as she fled to the airport, to catch a flight to Madrid, to say that she was not returning to work and that her husband would return her equipment.

De Sousa Abreu, who holds a Portuguese passport, was granted conditional bail, and is set to next appear at Isleworth Crown Court on 7 November.

Tetteh Turkson, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), 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."

He added that De Sousa had "no option but accept she was guilty" due to the strength of the case against her.