By admin 
A UK prison officer has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after admitting to an inappropriate relationship with an inmate. Toni Cole, who worked at HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, acknowledged her involvement with a 28-year-old male inmate.
Ms. Cole pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on February 13. In addition to her prison sentence, she was ordered to pay a £187 surcharge. Her mobile phone, a Samsung S22, was seized during her arrest.
The investigation revealed that Ms. Cole exchanged 4,431 texts and calls with the inmate over five months, with their communication being “sexualized or flirtatious” and even including a photograph of underwear, according to police.
The incident came to light on January 25, 2023, during a meeting to review an unauthorized overtime shift she worked two days earlier. CCTV footage from the meeting showed Ms. Cole spending a “considerable amount of time” with the inmate, and the footage also captured the inmate placing his arm around her.
Further investigation revealed that Ms. Cole sat on the inmate’s lap and even promised to warn him if her colleagues were planning to search his cell.
Detective Inspector Richard Cornell from EMSOU’s Regional Prison Intelligence Unit called the relationship “totally inappropriate” and emphasized that her actions jeopardized not only her own safety but also the safety of her colleagues and other inmates.
“The majority of prison staff carry out their duties to the highest standards, and I hope this sentence sends a clear message to those who seek to undermine public trust while holding positions of authority that inappropriate relationships will be robustly dealt with using the full force of the law,” added Mr. Cornell.
In a separate case in July 2024, another UK prison officer faced charges of misconduct after a video allegedly showing her having sex with an inmate at HMP Wandsworth, London, surfaced on social media.
Gill Bikram Singh