A married mother of three who had a passionate affair with an inmate behind bars while she was working as a corrections officer has avoided jail.
Jessica Elguindy, 25, pleaded guilty on Friday to having an intimate relationship with an inmate at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre in Sydney’s northwest.
Elguindy, who is the daughter of New South Wales Corrective Services Superintendent Walid “Wally” Elguindy, had a four-month relationship with inmate Beau Jones while working at a facility where her father was also superintendent.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest any wrongdoing on the part of Mr Elguindy.
In the agreed facts presented to the court, the 25-year-old sent illicit photographs and images of sex toys to Jones’s contraband phone. Daily Telegraph reported.
The court also heard Elguindy, who has since resigned from his post at the prison, confess his love for the inmate.
Her former colleague and best friend, Amber Clavell, also allegedly had a relationship with another inmate: armed robber Mark Kennedy.
The friends texted each other about the difficulty of having extramarital affairs with men behind bars, according to a court document.
Jessica Elguindy, 25, pleaded guilty Friday to having an intimate relationship with inmate Beau Jones while she worked at a correctional facility.
The married mother of three (pictured with husband Mitch Haden) had a four-month affair with the inmate.
Elguindy and Clavell were arrested on April 23 when the prison service handed over an internal investigation to the police.
Magistrate George Breton described Elguindy’s crimes as “very, very serious” and rejected his application to have the charges dismissed on mental health grounds.
However, Judge Breton added that Elguindy’s diagnosis of depression and anxiety influenced her decision to continue a relationship with Jones.
“Psychological reports and other materials indicate that she was struggling throughout this period but that she has come through, but she still has a lot of work to do,” said Judge Breton.
He said the 25-year-old acted “at the behest” of Jones and began smuggling contraband to her after the affair began.
Elguindy also asked a third party for access to restricted data in order to advance his relationship with Jones.
The court heard that Egluindy had also allegedly been in another relationship with a different inmate at the same time as her affair with Jones.
The incident took place at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre in north-west Sydney (pictured)
Judge Breton told the court that Elguindy’s actions were “deliberate, consistent and persistent” and that the matter was a “breach of trust”.
She said Elguindy showed a considerable amount of remorse and responsibility, and that the attacker acknowledged the harm he caused by participating in the affair.
Elguindy also pleaded guilty to accessing restricted data and misbehaving as a public official.
She was sentenced to 12 months of intensive prison, that is, a prison sentence that must be served in the community.
Clavell, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to unlawfully delivering or attempting to deliver anything to an inmate, drug supply and misconduct as a public office holder.
He is due to appear before Penrith Local Court on September 24 for sentencing.
