Linda Katherine De Sousa Abreu
Linda Katherine De Sousa Abreu is a former British prison officer whose career came to an abrupt end after she was filmed having sex with a prisoner at HMP Wandsworth in London. The incident, which occurred in June 2024, became one of the most notorious prison-service scandals in Britain after footage was circulated widely online.
De Sousa Abreu had joined HMP Wandsworth in January 2024 and completed her basic training in April. She had therefore been working at the prison for only about five months when the offence occurred. According to the sentencing remarks of Judge Martin Edmunds KC, she was on duty and in uniform on 25 June when she entered a prisoner's cell and engaged in sexual activity with him.
The prisoner was Linton Weirich, who was serving a sentence for burglary. During the encounter, De Sousa Abreu removed her prison-issued radio and placed it to one side. A second prisoner was present and recorded the incident using an unauthorised mobile phone. The recording subsequently circulated on social media and rapidly attracted widespread attention.
The court later heard that the incident was not isolated. De Sousa Abreu asked the court to take two additional incidents into consideration when sentencing her: a previous occasion on which she had sexual intercourse with Weirich and another incident on the same day involving oral sex. Part of the latter encounter was inadvertently captured by her prison-issued body-worn camera.
The discovery of the footage triggered an investigation by prison authorities and the Metropolitan Police. De Sousa Abreu was arrested at Heathrow Airport on 28 June 2024 after staff identified her. She had been preparing to travel to Madrid and had told the prison that she would not be returning to work. She subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in a public office.
At Isleworth Crown Court on 6 January 2025, Judge Edmunds sentenced her to 15 months' imprisonment. He emphasised that her conduct had compromised her role as an officer, undermined prison discipline and increased the risks faced by her colleagues. The offence was particularly serious because prison officers occupy positions of authority and are entrusted with maintaining security around prisoners.
The scandal also had consequences beyond De Sousa Abreu herself. Prison officials argued that the incident damaged the reputation of female officers working in male prisons and undermined years of efforts to establish professional standards and respect for female staff.
De Sousa Abreu's case attracted additional media attention because she had previously maintained an online presence as an adult-content creator. However, the criminal case concerned her conduct as a prison officer rather than her private sexual activities. The central issue for the court was the abuse of the responsibilities attached to her public position.
Her case illustrates the particular seriousness with which sexual relationships between prison staff and prisoners are treated. Regardless of the personal circumstances surrounding such relationships, prison officers are subject to strict professional obligations designed to prevent exploitation, maintain security and preserve authority within an institution where staff hold considerable power over inmates.
De Sousa Abreu's 15-month sentence brought the criminal proceedings to an end, while the viral footage ensured that an incident lasting only a few minutes became a highly publicised example of professional misconduct within Britain's prison system.
This page contains information generated by ChatGPT. The information was reviewed, and may have been altered, by a human editor before publication. As of July 2026 information generated by AI is not subject to copyright and is thus in the public domain.