A prison officer has been jailed after she had a relationship with an inmate who she sent numerous messages to, while she acted “inappropriately” with other prisoners.
Aimee Duke, 26, was caught on CCTV at HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, entering prisoners’ cells when she had no professional reason to and acting inappropriately with inmates.
Northamptonshire Police said Duke, of Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, also took her own bag into the prison wing, which was prohibited.
Duke, who began working at the category C prison in April 2022, was searched in August of that year when a piece of paper with one of the prisoners’ ID numbers was found in her purse.
In one of many text messages found on her phone after she was arrested at work, a prisoner wrote: “I want us to be together 100%”, while in another, Duke said: “I can’t wait to see you”.
Police said Duke was charged with four counts of misconduct in a public office and was jailed for 12 months.
She admitted two of these counts at a hearing in May and denied the other two.
On Tuesday, she appeared at Northampton Crown Court and was handed the custodial sentence, while the other two counts were ordered to remain on file, the force added.
Detective Inspector Richard Cornell from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit said: “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.”
