Former prison officer jailed after performing sex act on inmate
The offence was discovered through footage on her body-worn camera.
A former prison officer has been sentenced to 32 weeks in prison after she was caught on her own body-worn camera performing a sex act on an inmate.
Rebecca Pinckard, a 46-year-old mother from Six Mile Bottom, Cambridgeshire, admitted to misconduct in a public office at an earlier hearing.
Cambridge Crown Court heard how Pinckard had an "intimate encounter" with serving prisoner Erion Nakdi, a 42-year-old Albanian national, inside a store cupboard at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk.
Prosecutor Gavin Burrell said the offence took place on 5th July 2024 and was discovered when another officer reviewed footage from Pinckard's own body-worn camera.
Two video clips, recorded five minutes apart, showed Pinckard performing the act on Nakdi.
The offence was not isolated, as Judge Anthony Cartin noted during sentencing. Pinckard had also sent Nakdi a Moonpig card in April 2024. "The offence wasn't a one-off - it went on for a number of months and the card was sent," Judge Cartin said.
Nakdi is currently serving a 16-year sentence at HMP Highpoint following a conviction at Luton Crown Court in 2022 for conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
He admitted to possessing an unauthorised mobile phone in prison between 2nd and 6th July 2024. Footage of him in his cell, filmed with this device and sent via social media, was found on Pinckard's phone.
Nakdi received a further 10 months added to his existing prison term at Cambridge Crown Court.
Judge Cartin condemned Pinckard's actions, saying they diminished public confidence in the criminal justice system.
"This offending was only discovered because of a clumsy mistake," he noted.
Juliet Donovan, defending Pinckard, argued her actions were a "moment of madness" rather than evidence of a relationship.
Pinckard had been given a warning in October 2023 for being "overfamiliar" with inmates by offering cakes and sweets, which Ms Donovan described as an attempt to improve the lives of prisoners.
Pinckard displayed emotion during the sentencing, appearing tearful as she was led away to begin her prison term.