Jail officer who had sexual relationship with inmate is jailed

A former jail officer has been jailed after admitting a sexual relationship with an inmate.

Alicia Novas, 20, labored at HMP 5 Wells in Wellingborough the place she turned concerned with Declan Winkless and introduced hashish into jail.

Novas, from Raunds, admitted six offences together with misconduct in public workplace, and was given a three-year jail sentence at Northampton Crown Courtroom.

Winkless, 31, who admitted encouraging Novas to commit the offences, was jailed for 3 years and 4 months.

Decide Rebecca Crane mentioned: “You failed to think about the seriousness of your actions and the potential impression on the safety and security of the employees and prisoners and the way it undermined the work of the jail.”

Novas and Winkless appeared at courtroom through separate video hyperlinks from HMP Peterborough.

The courtroom heard that Novas started working on the jail in July 2024, aged 18, whereas Winkless had arrived the earlier month.

By 6 November 2024, the pair have been in direct digital communication after Novas supplied Winkless together with her private telephone quantity.

The connection turned sexual later that month.

Additionally they used extra numbers to remain involved, exchanging messages, calls and video calls.

Prosecutor Matthew Rowcliffe mentioned there have been 2,873 contacts between the pair through the indictment interval, which ran from August 2024 to March 2025.

Novas admitted bringing hashish and two cell phones into jail, unauthorised communication throughout the jail – which included passing on the title of a prisoner informant.

Rowcliffe described this as a “severe breach” of her duties.

On 23 December 2024, Novas was arrested after a telephone was seized from Winkless’s cell.

She was launched on bail and resigned three days later, however she instantly resumed contact with him, making about 400 additional telephone calls.

Decide Crane added: “Given your age and inexperience, you have been susceptible to being manipulated.

“Nonetheless, you could possibly simply have reported issues to the jail authorities and sought help.

“You persevered in having contact over a big interval even after your arrest.”

Novas was informed she would serve half her sentence in jail earlier than being launched on licence.

Addressing Winkless, who has 16 earlier convictions and is serving a separate sentence till April 2029, the choose mentioned: “You have been older and had extra life expertise and used that to govern Novas.”

He admitted two counts of encouraging misconduct in public workplace, unauthorised communication throughout the jail, utilizing hashish in jail and unauthorised possession of communication units inside a jail.

Winkless was informed his sentence can be added to his present jail time period – to run consecutively.