A 26-year-old prison officer has been jailed for 12 months after admitting misconduct in a public office during her time working at HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough.
Aimee Duke, of Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, joined the category C prison in April 2022. Within months she was found to have engaged in improper contact with inmates, including forming a relationship with one prisoner.
Discovery and Investigation
On 12 August 2022, Duke was subjected to a staff search in which a piece of paper containing a prisoner’s ID number was discovered in her purse.
A subsequent review of CCTV footage revealed Duke behaving inappropriately inside the prison. This included:
- Being present on wings she was not rostered to work on
- Carrying her own bag into prisoner wings, which is prohibited
- Entering prisoner cells without any professional reason
Duke was arrested at work on 23 September 2022. Officers also seized her mobile phone, which contained numerous SMS exchanges with a prisoner indicating an intimate relationship.
In one message, the prisoner told her: “I want us to be together 100%”. In another, Duke replied: “I can’t wait to see you”.
Charges and Court Case
Duke was charged with four counts of misconduct in a public office. At Northampton Crown Court on 1 May, she admitted two of the charges but denied the remaining two.
She returned to court on Tuesday, 26 August, where she was sentenced to 12 months in prison for the two offences she pleaded guilty to.
The other two counts will remain on file.
