A former Northamptonshire prison warden has been sentenced to eight months in prison for sending WhatsApp messages to an HMP Olney prisoner.
Victoria Leithwaite, 47, of Kislingbury, Northampton, worked at HMP Olney as a leader in safer detention and equality, supporting the most vulnerable prisoners when she committed the crime.
Leithwait appeared in the Royal Court of Northampton on Thursday, April 28, along with prisoner James Chalmers, 29, of Coventry, who was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a cell phone in prison and without permission – to transmit images and sound electronically communication.
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Northampton Crown Court.
The court heard that Leithwaite was in contact with Chalmers for a period of three weeks from March 2021 to April 2021.
The former prison warden was arrested in May 2021 after finding two mobile phones, a memory and four SIM cards from Chalmers’ cell.
A search of illegal mobile phones and SIM cards revealed WhatsApp messages and two phone calls from a number belonging to Laithwaite.
Prosecutor Sinjin Bulbring said: “The nature of the messages suggests a connection between the two.
The text messages sent from Leithwaite to Chalmers in court included: “I was worried when I didn’t hear from you”, “Your mother was worried, please send her a message x Please send me an x” and “I thought that you dumped me. If this is the case, please say so. I prefer to know, as well as “I thought of all kinds.”
Mr Bulbring added that there was a picture of Leithwaite on one of the illegal mobile phones.
After Leithwaite’s arrest, she gave an interview without comment to police and was charged with a felony under section 44 of the Serious Crimes Act 2007.
A personal statement from the victim, read on behalf of HMP Olney Deputy Governor Samantha Halls, said Laithwaite’s actions “harmed everything the prison represents” and cost them “public respect and trust between staff and prisoners”.
The court heard that Chalmers, when questioned by police, claimed that he used the illegal mobile phone only to contact friends and family and denied having any contact with Leithwaite.
Chalmers has previously appeared in court 20 times and committed a total of 46 crimes dating back to 2009. These include theft, possession of Class A drugs with intent to deliver, criminal damages, dangerous driving and burglary.
Sarah Allen, defending Chalmers, said he received a cell phone through another inmate. She said Leightwaite’s details were already on the phone and she was the one who initiated the contact with Chalmers, encouraging him to send messages and photos.
Ms. Allen said: “It is quite clear from the language used that there was some intimacy between them.
Chalmers has served half of his sentence in prison and was one week away from being released when he was interviewed on the matter, and he has the impression that it will not continue, the court said.
The 29-year-old returned home to live with his parents and children, where he began making plans for the future before his re-arrest in January 2022.
Ms. Allen continued: “As a result of his stupidity, he has already been released and will remain in prison for some time. It’s a matter of deep personal pity for him and a question he never wanted to happen. “
Shanis Mahmoud, defending Leithwaite, said she had worked for Her Majesty’s prison service for more than 20 years with a “previously unsullied career”.
She added that Leithwaite was battling mental health problems during the crime, resulting from her sister’s “sudden” death and the breakup of her marriage.
The court heard that her family relied heavily on Leithwaite, as she was the “primary care” of relatives with various health problems and an immediate prison sentence could have a “detrimental” effect on them.
Ms. Mahmoud said: “She appears before you deeply ashamed, completely embarrassed and sorry, and in the end she has no illusions about the gravity of this case.
As Mrs. Mahmoud spoke, Chalmers began to shake his head and smile at the defendant. Her Honor Judge Adrienne Lucking warned the defendant that she “finds it all amusing” and warned that he would be removed from the courtroom if he continued.
Condemning Leithwaite, Judge Luking said she had “shown a serious breach of trust in her role as prison warden”, adding that such behavior “undermines the safety and well-being of Her Majesty’s prisons”.
Leithwaite was sentenced to 12 months in prison with a four-month reduction for her guilty plea, which means that her last sentence was eight months, half of which she will serve in custody.
Child Inspector Dan Evans, who is leading an investigation by the EMSOU Regional Prison Intelligence Unit (East Midlands Special Operations Division), said Leithwait had abused her position of trust and responsibility in the prison.
He said: “Leithwaite was a senior figure in the Prison Service, a civil servant who was expected to behave to the highest standards, but this was a serious breach on her part and only serves to undermine trust in the service and potentially undermine the full security and good order needed to run the prison.
“Prisons are for rehabilitation, but she willingly encouraged a prisoner to commit a crime, something that flies in the face of it. Illegal communications have the potential to seriously undermine prison order.
“It was a complex investigation, but working in partnership with colleagues from the Prisons Service, I am pleased that we have eradicated a corrupt senior prison officer.”
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