A UK prison officer has been jailed for 12 months after she admitted to having an “inappropriate” relationship with an inmate. Toni Cole, who worked at HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, accepted that she was involved with a 28-year-old male inmate.

Ms Cole pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on February 13. Apart from serving the prison term, she would also pay a 187 pounds surcharge. Her mobile phone, Samsung S22, was seized from her locker during her arrest.

Ms Cole exchanged 4,431 texts and calls with the inmate over five months, the investigation has revealed. Their communication was “sexualized or flirtatious” and even included a photograph of underwear, according to the police.

On January 25, 2023, a meeting was held to discuss an unauthorised overtime shift that Toni Cole worked two days earlier. During the review, CCTV footage revealed that Ms Cole spent a “considerable amount of time” with the inmate. The footage also showed the prisoner placing his arm around her.

The probe revealed that she sat in the inmate’s lap and promised to tip him off if her colleagues planned to search his cell.

In his statement, Detective Inspector Richard Cornell, from EMSOU’s Regional Prison Intelligence Unit, called Toni Cole’s relationship with the inmate “totally inappropriate,” adding that her behaviour was not only putting her at risk but also the safety of her colleagues and inmates.

“The majority of prison staff carry out their duties to the highest standards, and I hope this sentence sends a clear message to those who seek to undermine public trust while holding positions of authority that inappropriate relationships will be robustly dealt with using the full force of the law,” Mr Cornell added.

In July 2024, another UK prison officer faced charges of misconduct after a video allegedly showing her having sex with an inmate at HMP Wandsworth, London, surfaced on social media.