A woman has been charged with misconduct over a video showing a female prison officer apparently having sex with an inmate in a Wandsworth prison cell.
Linda De Sousa Abreu, who was revealed as the woman in the video by MailOnline on Friday, will appear in custody at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Monday, the Metropolitan Police said.
The force launched an investigation after becoming aware of the footage on Friday before arresting a woman and taking her into police custody the same day.
The shocking clip shows the 30-year-old woman wearing uniform and begins with her apparently performing a sex act on an unidentified prisoner at the Category B prison in south-west London.
The images, which MailOnline understands are recent, appear to show her having sex with the prisoner while her cellmate records with a mobile phone. Images from the cell show a television and piles of clothes piled up on a bunk bed.
A friend who smokes while recording says: ‘Guys, we have made history, this is what I’m telling you.’
Linda De Sousa Abreu has been charged with misconduct over a video showing a female prison officer apparently having sex with an inmate in a cell at Wandsworth jail.
MailOnline revealed on Friday that the woman in the video was De Sousa Abreu
The woman is seen wearing uniform during the explicit clip in which she appears to have sex with an unidentified prisoner at the Category A prison in south-west London.
She is believed to have recently resigned from her job as a prison officer at the south London jail following the scandal.
The prison officer’s radio, left on a side table, crackles constantly and the voices of his colleagues on other channels can be heard above the din of the prisoners on the landing who are unaware of what is happening in the cell.
At one point, someone appears to be trying to enter the cell, and the man filming can be heard saying to the person on the other side of the door: “Give me a minute, a second.”
The prisoner filming tells his friend to continue and then turns the camera for a moment and, smiling, says: “That’s how we behave in Wandsworth.”
He then tells his friend, whom he has sex with: “You know you’re a gangster, right?”
MailOnline revealed on Friday that the woman in the video was De Sousa Abreu, who is believed to have recently quit her job as a prison officer at the south London jail following the scandal.
More than 80 prison officers have been fired or reprimanded since 2013 for having affairs with female inmates, according to official statistics.
Figures from the Ministry of Justice show that up to last year, 59 female and 24 male workers had been arrested.
HMP Berwyn prison in North Wales had the worst record, with 18 female staff found to have had relationships with inmates since the prison opened in 2017.
HMP Wandsworth was placed under special measures after a conviction Report of Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor.
During a surprise visit, he found that eighty percent of the prisoners shared cells designed for a single person, 44 percent tested positive for drugs, and some went five days without showering.
And despite the alleged escape of terror suspect Daniel Khalife last year, he said security remained a “serious concern,” and that staff in “chaotic” wings were frequently unable to accurately account for the whereabouts of their prisoners.
Built over 170 years ago, Wandsworth is one of the oldest and most famous prisons in the country. It has hosted high-profile inmates from Oscar Wilde to, more recently, bankrupt tennis star Boris Becker.
In his warning to ministers calling for the category B jail to be placed under emergency measures, Mr Taylor described an atmosphere among prisoners “characterised by a degree of despondency that I have not encountered in my time as chief inspector”.
He said staff are hampered by a lack of experience, poor management and a “poor or non-existent relationship” with inmates.
He added that many suffer high levels of “exhaustion” and that a third are not available for work each day.
The explicit clip begins with the woman apparently performing a sexual act on an unidentified prisoner at the Category A jail in south-west London.
Images from the cell show a television and piles of clothes piled up on a bunk bed.
De Sousa Abreu has now been charged with misconduct, the Met confirmed.
Her sister said she found out Linda worked for the prison service earlier this year and said the couple had a sincere relationship.
Violence is a serious problem within the prison, with more than 10 attacks on staff each week. The population, which two years ago was 1,364 inhabitants, has increased this month to 1,513.
‘Wanno’ (as HMP Wandsworth is known to inmates) was where former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker spent his first weeks after being jailed for hiding £2.5m in assets and loans in a bankruptcy fraud case .
Becker, who was later transferred to Huntercombe prison in Oxfordshire, said being a famous tennis player meant nothing in a place where he was surrounded by “murderers, drug dealers, rapists, people traffickers and dangerous criminals”.