Prison officer Aimee Duke, 26, was caught sending messages to a prisoner while serving at HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
A prison guard has become the third female officer to be convicted of having inappropriate relationships with inmates at the same jail within a year.
Aimee Duke was caught exchanging messages and “interacting inappropriately” with several prisoners while working at HMP Five Wells. The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in public office and was sentenced to 12 months in prison at Northampton Crown Court on Tuesday.
She is the third female prison officer to be convicted of similar offences at the controversial £253m prison in Northamptonshire, which opened its doors in 2022.
Earlier this year in February, Toni Cole, 29, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for a series of intimate encounters with an inmate, to whom she also sent 4,000 provocative messages.
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And in July last year, Rachel Stanton, 31, narrowly escaped a prison sentence after she had sexual relations with an armed robber and sent him steamy love letters.
The court heard that Duke was exposed less than four months into her job when information on a hidden phone led to bosses launching an investigation.
The illicit mobile was discovered in the laundry room and searches for Aimee Duke’s name had been made on Facebook.
Duke was subjected to a staff search and a piece of paper was found in her purse on which the prison ID number for Lorenzo Brooks was written.
Prison CCTV was then reviewed to track Duke’s movements revealing ‘inappropriate’ conduct by the prison officer. Duke was spotted at 8.30am one day, entering the wing with a pink bag when she ‘had no professional reason to do so’ and was not on duty.
CCTV footage also captured her entering a single-occupancy cell, later emerging with two inmates. Duke was arrested at work on 23 September 2022, and her mobile phone was confiscated.
Phone analysis revealed 248 contacts with one inmate over a two-month span, suggesting an “inappropriate relationship” between them. The prisoner asked Duke “to send pictures”, to which she responded by sending a photo of “her tan”.
Even after Brooks was transferred to another prison, the pair continued to exchange messages, affectionately calling each other “babe”.
In one message, the inmate wrote “I want us to be together 100%”. In another, Duke messaged him “I can’t wait to see you”.
Records showed an additional 254 contacts – phone calls and messages – between Duke and a second inmate.
Prosecutor Pree Brada stated that Duke, from Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, knew the calls were “inappropriate” and a “deliberate act”.
During sentencing, Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking said: “What you did was engage in inappropriate relationships with two prisoners. You would have been made well aware what was appropriate and what was inappropriate.
“CCTV revealed that you had been interacting inappropriately with prisoners. You disregarded the training given to you. These relationships were inappropriate.”
Duke was informed of her impending imprisonment, despite her silent pleas to the judge, mouthing ‘please’ when a suspended sentence was mentioned. Judge Lucking expressed regret that there was no other option but to send Duke to prison. She stated: “You were a prison officer and undermined prison discipline. Your remorse is genuine. I’m afraid there is no other alternative to a custodial sentence.”
Liam Muir, defending, said that Duke was previously of ‘good character’ and had pleaded guilty, adding they weren’t sexual in nature.
Duke, who wept throughout the proceedings, waved to her family as she was led away to begin her sentence. Detective Inspector Richard Cornell, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, commented afterwards: “Prison officers are in positions of authority and unfortunately, Aimee Duke used her position to form inappropriate relationships.
“Her actions do not reflect the fact that most prison staff are law-abiding citizens who carry out their duties to the highest standards. “I hope this sentence sends a clear message to those who seek to undermine public trust while holding positions of authority that inappropriate behaviour such as in this case will be robustly dealt with using the full force of the law.”
The prison, operated by G4S, has previously been under scrutiny after inspectors raised serious concerns about staff safety, drugs and food shortages.
