A woman has been arrested following the emergence of a social media video allegedly showing a prison officer engaging in sexual activity with an inmate at HMP Wandsworth.
The Metropolitan Police began their investigation on Friday after being alerted to the video. The woman was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and remains in custody. The footage, which reportedly shows the officer initially in full uniform, lacks a confirmed filming date.
During the footage, the inmate filming the tryst joked: “This is how we live at Wandsworth.”
But police and prison bosses are now probing the four and a half-minute film, taken at Britain’s second-biggest prison, in south London.
This incident occurs less than two months after the prisons watchdog alerted the justice secretary about urgent issues at the jail, citing “chaotic” conditions. The prison’s governor, Katie Price, resigned during a recent inspection.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson confirmed the investigation is ongoing and that they are in close contact with the Ministry of Justice. A Prison Service spokesperson stated that staff corruption is not tolerated and the former officer involved has been reported to the police, with further comments withheld pending investigation.
Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, emphasized the need for experienced leadership at Wandsworth to improve security and staff guidance.
