A former prison officer has been jailed for having illicit relationships with two inmates and plotting to smuggle drug-soaked envelopes into jail.
Isabelle Dale, 23, became romantically involved with prisoners Shahid Sharif and Connor Money and was ‘swearing them undying love, saying she wanted to be with both of them on the outside’, Judge Christopher Hehir said.
She got engaged to convicted robber Sharif, and later plotted with him and his associate, Lilea Sallis, to smuggle the synthetic cannabinoid, commonly known as spice, into HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent.
Dale, of Cosham, Portsmouth, was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment for two counts of misconduct in a public office between September 2021 and December 2022, and one count of conspiring to convey a List A article into prison.
Sharif, who is already in custody at HMP Wandsworth, and Sallis, were also jailed for the latter charge.
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Sentencing the three at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, the judge told Dale: ‘I have concluded that unfortunately you are a thoroughly devious and untruthful and manipulative young woman.
‘I accept you have some vulnerabilities but, as was apparent in your evidence, you seek to use them as a shield and an excuse for your actions. But they did not provide that.’
He added: ‘I suspect you actually joined the prison service with a view to becoming involved in criminal activities with prisoners.’
Dale arrived at HMP Coldingley, Surrey, in September 2021 for what would be her first and only posting.
By January, she and Sharif had had ‘at least some contact’ because she mentioned him to a senior colleague – by May they were engaged, the court heard.
The trial was told the prison officer, who has since resigned, had sex with Sharif in the chapel area of HMP Coldingley.
Judge Hehir said he could not know if they were intimate in the chapel area but text messages show they ‘clearly had a sexual relationship’ and other prison officers ‘obviously had clocked on to what was going on’.
Sharif was at the time serving a 12-year and 10-month sentence for an ‘extremely violent robbery of a jewellers on the south coast’, the judge added.
Dale’s home was searched and a ‘rather garish’ picture of the couple was found hanging above her bed, he said.
It had photographs of them ‘spliced together’ with a white heart between and the date May 17 2022, believed to be the day of their engagement.
The judge said evidence put to the jury showed she ‘well understood what corruption was and the risks and dangers relating to it’.
He added: ‘She wanted to do it. I think she’s attention seeking and I think she seeks validation and I think she did that through relationships with prisoners.’
Syam Soni, defending Dale, had said her offending was influenced by her mental health difficulties, including depression, anxiety, emotionally unstable personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
He had claimed she was ‘ill-equipped’ for the prison environment and more vulnerable than others.
The court heard Dale also conveyed sensitive information to Money, with whom she also had an intimate relationship.
The judge said: ‘When he said he was worried about losing his mobile phone if his cell was searched, any right-thinking security officer would go in and seize the cell, but she said “don’t worry, security aren’t too hot on you”.’
Dale, Sharif and Lilea Sallis, 28, also planned to bring envelopes dipped in spice into Swaleside prison.
A postal strike foiled their arrangements and it was organised for Dale to travel to Brighton to meet Sallis and collect the envelopes, the court heard.
However Sallis backed out because of a conflict with Sharif about prices, and content he was posting about her on social media, the judge said.
‘I don’t think she had a fit of conscience, to put it that way, but I think that’s why her enthusiasm cooled,’ he added.
Sharif attended proceedings via video link from prison.
He previously admitted conspiring to bring the drug into Swaleside and the two women, who had denied the charge, were convicted by a jury.
Sallis was sentenced to two and a half years in jail and Sharif received 27 months.
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