A prisoner and a former officer seen together in a video from HMP Wandsworth have both spoken out. Each described a lack of discipline in jails.
The footage, which went viral, showed Linda de Souza Abreu having sex with a prisoner in a cell in 2024. Ms de Souza Abreu, 32, later received a 15-month prison sentence for misconduct in public office.
The judge who sentenced her said she had consented to the sex and had not objected to the filming. Another prisoner recorded the incident on an illicit mobile phone. He added a commentary in which he described the scene as life at Wandsworth.
In an interview with The Sun, the man in the video spoke about the episode for the first time. He called it the biggest regret of his life. The incident had also harmed his relationship with his partner, he said.
Claims about staff
The man, who has served several prison terms, said the balance of power inside jails had shifted. “Officers don’t run jails any more — prisoners do,” he said.
He contrasted today’s staff with those he met on his first sentence. Back then, he said, many officers were ex-Army or former security guards. Prison felt like a boot camp. Now, he said, young staff aged 19 and 20 tried to tell prisoners what to do.
He also claimed that many staff were corrupt and earned more from smuggling items than from their salaries. He listed phones, drugs, food, aftershave, sunglasses and clothes. He alleged that some staff warned prisoners about planned cell searches.
Ms de Souza Abreu had joined the Prison Service five months before the filming. She told The Sun the jail had been very understaffed and hard to manage at the time. “I regret everything I did. I’m incredibly embarrassed,” she said.
Government response
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson defended the workforce and pointed to new measures. The spokesperson said: “The overwhelming majority of our prison staff are dedicated, hardworking professionals.”
The department said it was tackling staff who fell short through tougher vetting and a strengthened Counter-Corruption Unit. It also cited over £40 million for physical security. That money targets contraband, which the department said fuels violence in jails.
HMP Wandsworth is a Category B reception prison for men in London. Its last full inspection before this story took place in August 2024. Inspectors rated safety, respect and purposeful activity as poor. They judged preparation for release not sufficiently good.
