A prison officer who is on trial for having sex with an inmate in a prayer room claims he threatened her life.
Isabelle Dale, 23, is accused of having a sexual relationship with Shahid Sharif, an inmate who was sentenced to 12 years for robbing a jewellery shop.
According to the court, the pair began their relationship at HMP Coldingley in Surrey, where she also allegedly smuggled drugs and telephones for others in the prison.
On Monday, 27 October, Dale appeared at Southwark Crown Court where she was charged with two counts of misconduct in a public office and conspiracy to convey a 'List A' prohibited article into prison.
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Dale has denied the charges against her and has now come out to say she had been threatened by Sharif to act out their relationship, as well as body modifications.
Prosecutor Kieran Brand claimed in the court that on July 19, 2022, the pair entered the prison’s multi-faith room where two inmates appeared to act as lookouts.
They stayed in the room for four minutes before remerging, and Dale seemingly readjusted her belt.
A text message sent from Sharif later that day read to Dale: "It was good sharing dat love today ur p*****s ammaazzzeeeingggggg.”
When Dale was arrested, Sharif's cell was later searched, where they found love letters and explicit photos of the prison officer.
She is also accused of visiting him on three additional occasions, and when he was moved to HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent after their encounter, Dale allegedly reached out to him via the email a prisoner system.
She is also accused of helping the prisoner smuggle envelopes 'laced with spice' into his new prison.
Dale denies all charges and revealed that Sharif apparently threatened to stab her.
Dale told the court that he had threatened her multiple times, had forced her to have her bottom enlarged with fillers, and to buy a ring as a token of her loyalty to him.
“I bought the ring as I was instructed to by Mr Sharif to prove my loyalty to him,” she explained. “He threatened to stab me. He told me he hated me and wanted me to die.”
She added in court: “Mr Sharif would degrade me a lot about my body size and my bum size. He would tell me I wasn't good enough for him.
“He said that to be with someone as good as him I would have to make serious permanent changes to myself.”
She claims she developed septic abscesses in her hips and back due to the surgery and received ‘about a hundred’ calls from Sharif and his family while she was in hospital.
Dale was then asked about the envelopes laced with spice, and she claimed she ‘wouldn’t have dared to question him’ about the contents.
The prison officer then claimed Sharif had told her to get a dildo because he thought that she was having sex with other people.
In court, it was further alleged that Dale had a sexual relationship with at least one other inmate. Text messages were shown to the court which were between Dale and inmate Connor Money.
Dale allegedly wrote: “You maybe just wanting to use me because I’m an officer but I don’t think your [sic] like that xx.”
In response to an alleged explicit message from Money, she replied: "When you know you want me and only me lol xx.”
The trial continues.
Britt Jones