Teen prison officer jailed over sex with inmate lover

A former prison officer who engaged in a sexual relationship with an inmate at HMP Five Wells and smuggled cannabis and mobile phones into the jail has been jailed for three years.

Alicia Novas, now 20, was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of misconduct in public office.

Her lover, prisoner Declan Winkless, 31, received three years and four months consecutive to his existing 11-year-and-three-month sentence for conspiracies to burgle.

Judge Rebecca Crane told the court that two videos showing Novas having sexual intercourse while in her prison uniform were filmed by Winkless and shared on Snapchat.

The footage subsequently appeared in the national press.

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Novas, of Raunds, Northamptonshire, began working at HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough as an 18-year-old officer.

She exchanged almost 3,000 messages and calls with Winkless using four illicit mobile phones he possessed in custody.

The relationship turned sexual by November 16, 2024.

Winkless filmed the encounters and distributed the material online.

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Novas also smuggled two mobile phones and a quantity of cannabis into the prison for Winkless.

On November 23, 2024, she disclosed the identity of a prison informant to Winkless and revealed what intelligence staff held about his activities.

Judge Crane said this placed the informant at very considerable risk of serious violence and undermined prison security.

Both defendants appeared via video link from HMP Peterborough.