A 20-year-old former prison officer from Raunds and a 31-year-old inmate from Leicester have been locked up for a combined six years and four months. Alicia Novas and Declan Winkless pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including misconduct in public office and smuggling banned items into prison.
Details of the crimes and sentencing
Novas, from Holdenby Drive, Raunds, and Winkless, formerly of South Wigston, were sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on Monday, January 26. The pair admitted six charges each, with Winkless confessing to an additional seventh count.
Novas’ sentence totals three years for:
- Two counts of misconduct in a public office
- Two offences of unlawfully transmitting images or sounds from prison
- Two counts of smuggling prohibited List ‘A’ items into or out of prison
Winkless, already serving 11 years for aggravated burglary, got three years and four months extra, covering:
- Two counts of misconduct in a public office
- Two charges of illicitly transmitting images or sounds from prison
- Two counts of smuggling prohibited List ‘A’ items into or out of prison
- One count of possessing a specified prohibited item inside prison
How the smuggling racket was busted
The offences happened between August 1, 2024, and March 21, 2025, at HMP Five Wells, Wellingborough, and HMP Peterborough. The scam was uncovered after a December 22, 2024 cell search found a mobile phone on Winkless. Messages between Winkless and Novas revealed their ongoing illicit contacts.
Novas joined HMP Five Wells as a prison officer on July 1, 2024, when she was just 18. She was arrested the day after the phone was found and released on bail, banned from contacting Winkless — but the pair kept exchanging around 400 messages even after her arrest.
East Midlands Special Operations Unit discovered their secret messaging started well before November 6, with a staggering 2,800 messages exchanged before Nova’s arrest. Investigation also revealed Novas smuggled cannabis, tobacco, and two mobile phones inside for Winkless.
Justice has served a serious warning: prison staff and inmates involved in corruption will face tough consequences.
