Prison guard filmed having sex with inmate in HMP Wandsworth faces up to life in prison

The Wandsworth prison guard who was filmed having sex with an inmate could be facing a lifetime behind bars.

Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, pleaded guilty to misconduct on Monday, 29 July after being caught having sex with a prisoner on 27 June, with the footage going viral on social media.

Earlier this month, she took to TikTok to address the fact that nobody knows her 'side of the story', and told viewers not to fall for fake OnlyFans accounts impersonating her.

Abreu (second from right), appeared in court on Monday, where she was charged with misconduct in public office. (PA)

Prosecutors said that Abreu, who has an OnlyFans account of her own, willingly took part in the video with inmate Linton Weirich, a felon who's spending time behind bars for an $82,000 (£63,800) luxury goods heist in Kensington, London.

The married mother, of Fulham, south-west London, was originally arrested earlier this month, after a police investigation found her to be the guard having sex with Weirich in the men's prison between June 26-28.

She was arrested at Heathrow Airport en route to Madrid, having told the prison of her intention not to return to work.

Abreu pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in a public office, and was granted conditional bail having been scheduled to appear in Isleworth Crown Court on 7 November.

Her lawyers did not immediately issue a statement.

The video was filmed at the prison she worked at. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

The charge states that De Sousa Abreu 'wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder by engaging in a sexual act with a prisoner in a prison cell'.

But how serious is the charge?

Misconduct in public office (MiPO) is a common law offence that can only be tried on indictment, according to UK law, with the maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The offence concerns wilful neglect or abuse of the power or responsibilities of the public office held, with there being a direct link between the misconduct and an abuse of those powers.

This can raise several complex or sensitive issues.

Abreu will appear in Crown Court on 7 November. (PA)

Tetteh Turkson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, stated: “This was a shocking breach of the public’s trust. De Sousa was clearly an enthusiastic participant who wrongly thought she would avoid responsibility.

“The CPS recognises there is no excuse for any prison officer who conducts themselves in such a manner, and we will never hesitate to prosecute those who abuse their position of power.

“After working closely with the Metropolitan Police to build the strongest possible case, De Sousa had no option but accept she was guilty. She will now rightly face the consequences of her actions.”