A former prison officer has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years behind bars after being caught having sex with an inmate boyfriend inside a jail prayer room, the BBC reports.
Isabelle Dale was found to have had sexual intercourse with Shahid Sharif in the worship area at HMP Coldingley in Surrey, England. The encounter was seen on surveillance cameras, with Dale and Sharif emerging after roughly four minutes, and Dale appearing to quickly adjust her uniform belt as they left the area.
Prosecutors said Dale’s relationship with Sharif, a convicted robber, went beyond inappropriate romance and crossed into criminal conduct. Dale had Sharif’s nickname “Sneaks” tattooed behind her neck, displayed a framed photograph of the two of them in her bedroom, and referred to herself as “Miss Sneaky.”
At Southwark Crown Court, the judge said Dale’s actions were calculated and serious, telling her he believed she joined the prison service so she could engage in illicit relationships with inmates.
The court heard Dale was also involved with a second prisoner, Connor Money, at the same time she was seeing Sharif, further undermining prison discipline and trust. After the prayer room incident, Sharif was moved to HMP Swaleside in Kent, but the relationship continued even after his transfer.
Dale later purchased her own £3,000 (roughly $4,035 dollars) engagement ring, the court was told, while writing letters describing the life she imagined building with Sharif once he was released. Some of the letters were said to have been laced with synthetic cannabis, also known as Spice.
Investigators also alleged Dale helped facilitate drug supply into custody. The court heard she operated Sharif’s drug-dealing Snapchat account and helped source Spice through an associate named Lilea Sallis.
Dale denied smuggling drugs and denied having sex with Sharif in custody, but a jury convicted her of two counts of misconduct in a public office and conspiracy to convey a “List A” prohibited article into prison.
Sharif admitted his role in the drug conspiracy and received an additional 27 months in prison. Sallis was convicted for her role in the conspiracy and was sentenced to two-and-a-half years.
After sentencing Dale, the judge warned the court that relationships between prison staff and inmates create chaos inside prisons and destroy authority.
Dale was arrested on Nov. 1, 2022 during a visit to Sharif at Swaleside. She had joined the prison service in September 2021 but said she felt isolated and mocked by colleagues for her tattoos, later claiming she sought comfort in inmate attention. Her lawyer said she suffered from depression and anxiety and was not suited to the role, but the court found her conduct amounted to serious corruption.