A record number of female prison guards have been fired for having sex with male inmates in the past three years – 29 of them were fired.
This figure compares with just nine people who lost their jobs for the same crime between 2017 and 2019.
Some of the prison guards had even cut holes in their uniforms to facilitate sexual acts. Sun has reported.
New figures from the Ministry of Justice show that of 124 investigations into “inappropriate relationships” in British prisons, a shocking fifty have been confirmed.
Some of the prison guards involved were not fired, but suspended and transferred to a different position.
The huge rise in figures comes after a married prison officer at HMP Wandsworth, who had sex with a female inmate on video, accused prisoners of blackmailing her into filming the X-rated video.
Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, admitted having sex with serial burglar Linton Weirich in her cell at the scandal-hit jail, but says she only agreed to take part after Lags threatened to expose her career as an amateur porn star.
Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, was filmed having sex with serial burglar Linton Weirich in his cell at HMP Wandsworth
She said she only agreed to participate after Lags threatened to expose her career as an amateur porn star.
Pictured: The exterior of HMP Wandsworth in London
De Sousa Abreu, who claims he has since “found faith in God”, pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in public office at a hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday.
Her close friend Hayley, who only wanted to give her first name, told MailOnline that the circumstances surrounding the incident will be made public when De Sousa returns to court to be sentenced in November.
She said: “There is much more to this story than people realise. Some of the prisoners had obtained personal information from Linda.
“They knew her address, her husband’s name and that she had an OnlyFans account. They put her under a lot of pressure and coercion.”
Hayley continued: ‘Linda was having a really tough time at work because of all this. And she was also having problems in her marriage.
“She is absolutely devastated by what happened and is filled with remorse. She is totally devastated and is trying to rebuild her life.”
De Sousa Abreu lives in a sprawling housing estate in Fulham, near where Weirich grew up.
Hayley added: “It wasn’t difficult for the other prisoners to get Linda’s details and find out things about her personal life.”
De Sousa Abreu, who has Portuguese citizenship, is still married to her husband with whom she shares an eight-year-old daughter.
Linda De Sousa Abreu (right) had sex with an inmate on video at HMP Wandsworth
She was filmed on a mobile phone having sex with prisoner Linton Weirich (pictured)
De Sousa Abreu (pictured, in a sketch made by a court artist) pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in public office and was released on bail ahead of her sentencing in November.
Hayley said: ‘They are a lovely couple and are working hard to save their marriage. It hasn’t been easy for them. People are trying to make it out that Linda is some kind of sex monster but that’s not the case at all.
“She’s a very kind and caring person who made a terrible mistake. We all make mistakes in life and people shouldn’t be so quick to judge her.”
The June 27 encounter was filmed by another inmate and went viral on social media. MailOnline later revealed that De Sousa Abreu has appeared on TV shows about swingers and has an OnlyFans account.
She was later identified by staff at HMP Wandsworth and arrested by the Metropolitan Police at Heathrow Airport as she attempted to fly to Madrid.
And earlier, prison guards Aleesha Bates, 30, was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail and Jodie Wilkes, 27, was given a 12-month suspended sentence for a three-way intimate relationship with an inmate at HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale.
Bates was the first to strike up a relationship with the man, who had been jailed for drug trafficking offences, Bolton Crown Court heard earlier this year.
She became ‘completely smitten’ with him, sending him pornographic messages and nude photos of herself, and even planning a future together once he was released.
Operational Support Grade (OSG) Wilkes did not accept having had a relationship with the prisoner, who had a “history” of befriending female prison staff but had had “an improper association” with him.
Prison officer Bates (pictured) was the first to strike up a relationship with the man, who had been jailed for drug dealing offences, Bolton Crown Court heard.
Wilkes (pictured), an operational support officer (OSG), did not accept having had a relationship with the prisoner, who had a “history” of befriending female prison staff.
Bates was questioned but initially denied having a relationship with the man, while Wilkes admitted giving him her number and contacting him, and both subsequently resigned.
Brian Berlyne, prosecuting, said Bates’ relationship with the man, which lasted from December 2019 to June 2020, came to light after prison authorities received information that they had become “close”.
He was held prisoner in the wing where she was assigned and when they searched his cell, a mobile phone was found hidden in a stereo.
Berlyne said phone records showed contact between the man and Bates along with photographs of them together and “sexually explicit messages” they had exchanged.
Phone records also showed the prisoner had been in contact with Wilkes.
Both women were arrested in June 2020 and their phones were confiscated by police.
MailOnline has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.
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