30 June 2024 , 11:11
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A woman has been charged with misconduct in public office over a social media video allegedly showing a prison guard having sex with an inmate in a cell.
Footage circulated online on Friday showing the prisoner and a staff member engaged in sex acts at HMP Wandsworth. The clip, which was apparently filmed by another inmate on a mobile phone, says: "Guys we've made history, this is what I'm telling you."
Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, has now been charged and will appear in custody at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Monday, the Met Police said, after it had been made aware of the video on Friday.
Colleagues are heard on the officer's radio, left on a side table, in the video, which also captures piles of the prisoner's clothes heaped over a bunk bed. The Met immediately launched an investigation, confirming on Saturday that a woman had been arrested for misconduct in public office.
A Met spokeswoman told The Mirror: "A police investigation was launched on 28 June after officers were made aware of a video filmed inside HMP Wandsworth. A woman was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office later that day. Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, (13/12/93) of Fulham was charged on 29 June with misconduct in public office. She will appear in custody at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 1 July."
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A spokesman for HMP Prison Service said: "Staff corruption is not tolerated and the former prison officer allegedly featured in this video has been reported to the police. It would be inappropriate to comment further while they investigate." The Mirror has contacted the prison service for further comment.
It's not clear whether the incident took place recently. It comes after the Category B jail was placed under special measures last months off the back of a damning report. Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor found 80 per cent of prisoners sharing cells designed for one person during the unannounced visit, while 44 per cent of lags tested positive for drugs and some reported going without showers for five days.