In a scandal that sent shockwaves through the justice system, prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after being caught on camera engaging in an illicit sexual encounter with an inmate at HMP Wandsworth.
The 30-year-old officer, who hails from Brazil and is married, was found guilty of misconduct following the viral footage that captured her and inmate Linton Weirich in the act last summer.
The explicit video, which became a social media sensation, reveals De Sousa Abreu and Weirich indulging in sexual activities while the prison radio crackles with messages in the background. As the illicit rendezvous took place, Weirich’s cellmate candidly filmed the encounter, proclaiming, “This is how we roll in Wandsworth.” The situation escalated when someone attempted to enter the cell, prompting the camera operator to shout, “Give me a minute, one second.”
Weirich, 36, who was serving a sentence for a £65,000 luxury flat robbery, was also noted to have a heavily pregnant girlfriend awaiting his return at home.
De Sousa Abreu’s downfall began when she was apprehended at Heathrow Airport, where she was preparing to catch a flight to Madrid after informing the prison of her holiday plans. Upon her arrest, she admitted to the allegations during a hearing at Isleworth Crown Court, where the judge condemned her actions as a significant violation of the public’s trust. The charge read that she had “wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification” misconducted herself by engaging in the sexual act with a prisoner.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Tetteh Turkson emphasized the severity of the officer’s breach of trust, stating, “This was a shocking breach of the public’s trust. De Sousa was clearly an enthusiastic participant who wrongly thought she would avoid responsibility.”
As she begins her sentence, this scandal raises critical questions about oversight and safety within the prison system, leaving many to wonder how such a flagrant violation of professional duties could occur behind bars.
