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Jail scandal: Prison officer denies sex with inmates & drug plot

Court hears how a jail officer allegedly breached security, formed illicit bonds with inmates and joined a contraband and cash conspiracy spanning months.…

Reported from court

Jason King

7 January 2026 at 14:30Updated 26 April 2026 at 08:562 min read

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Court hears how a jail officer allegedly breached security, formed illicit bonds with inmates and joined a contraband and cash conspiracy spanning months.

A former prison officer accused of forming intimate relationships with inmates and smuggling drugs and tobacco into a jail has appeared before a Crown Court to deny a series of serious criminal charges.

Kayleigh Robson, 29, is alleged to have abused her position while employed at HMP Peterborough, a Category B privately run prison, over a period spanning several months during 2020 and 2021.

The prosecution allege that while acting as a public officer, Robson wilfully misconducted herself by engaging in inappropriate relationships with serving prisoners, conduct said to amount to a grave breach of public trust.

The former officer appeared at Cambridge Crown Court where she formally denied one count of misconduct in a public office, as well as allegations relating to drug smuggling and money laundering.

It is alleged that between June 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021, Robson pursued personal relationships with inmates during her employment at the prison, conduct the prosecution say had no reasonable excuse or justification.

In addition, the court heard allegations that between July 23, 2020 and April 19, 2021, she conspired with others to smuggle cannabis and tobacco into the prison estate, breaching security measures designed to prevent contraband entering the jail.

Prosecutors further allege Robson became involved in a money laundering arrangement, said to have involved bank transfers linked to the supply of illegal items into custody.

Robson, from Grantham in Lincolnshire, spoke only to confirm her identity and to enter not guilty pleas during the brief preliminary hearing.

She appeared alongside three male co-defendants, Adam Hussain, 28, Ashley Neal, 30, and Roy Shalliker, 67, who each denied conspiring to bring contraband into HMP Peterborough.