PRISON OFFICER JAILED FOR SEX ACT WITH INMATE AFTER BODY-CAM FOOTAGE CAUGHT HER IN THE ACT
A female prison officer has been sentenced to jail after being caught in a sexual act with an inmate, recorded on her own body-worn video camera.Rebecca Pinckard, 46, was involved in an "intimate encounter" with serving prisoner Erion Nakdi, 42, in a storage cupboard at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk, Cambridge Crown Court heard.
The mother from Cambridgeshire had previously sent a card to the Albanian national, who is serving a 16-year sentence for drug offences.
She pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to misconduct in a public office and was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison at a hearing on Friday.
Prosecutor Gavin Burrell revealed that Pinckard was filmed performing a sexual act on Nakdi in two video clips, recorded five minutes apart on July 5, 2024.
Another officer discovered the clips while reviewing body-worn camera footage for evidence.
Judge Anthony Cartin noted that Pinckard's offence was "only discovered because of a clumsy mistake", adding: "An officer gathering evidence found evidence from your camera." He stated that her conduct was "only discovered because of a clumsy mistake", and that the offence went on for several months, with the card sent during this period.
The judge mentioned that explicit videos of Nakdi in his prison cell were found on her mobile phone and were sent via social media.
Pinckard failed to report receiving these videos.
During sentencing, it was revealed that Pinckard had received a warning in October 2023 for being "overfamiliar" with inmates.
Her mitigating lawyer described her actions as a "moment of madness" and explained her difficult personal circumstances at the time.
The court also heard that she had previously tried to make prisoners' lives better by giving cakes and sweets.
Nakdi, who appeared via prison video link, pleaded guilty to the unauthorized possession of a mobile phone in prison and received a 10-month sentence consecutive to his current 16-year and three-month drug conspiracy sentence handed down in 2022.
The case underscores how the misconduct was only uncovered because of a mistake, and how her conduct has diminished public confidence in the justice system.
