Prison officer and inmate in court over relationship

 A prison officer and an inmate have appeared in court jointly charged with misconduct in public office after allegedly having a sexual relationship.

Alicia Novas, 19, and Declan Winkless, 30, appeared separately at Northampton Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with committing misconduct in public office at HMP Five Wells between August and December last year.

They are also both charged with making an illegal electronic transmission of an image at HMP Peterborough between December and March this year.

Ms Novas, acting as a prison custody officer, is accused of "wilfully" misconducting "herself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public's trust".

The charges, detailed in court documents, state that Mr Winkless is alleged to have encouraged and assisted both offences.

The court heard that Ms Novas provided her telephone number to Mr Winkless, failed to report his possession of a telephone and cannabis, and entered "into a sexual relationship" with him.

A second joint charge of misconduct is said to have been committed by the pair on 23 November, when Ms Novas provided information about whether Mr Winkless was suspected of wrongdoing by prison authorities.

Both defendants face further charges of making an illegal electronic transmission from a prison, one of bringing, throwing or conveying cannabis into a prison and one of conveying two mobile phones into a jail, all relating to HMP Five Wells, near Wellingborough.

Mr Winkless, of HMP Swaleside in Kent, and formerly of South Wigston, Leicestershire, faces a seventh charge of possessing a mobile phone with a sim card at Five Wells without authority on 22 December.

Neither defendant was asked to enter a plea during the hearings and they were ordered to appear at Northampton Crown Court on 1 December.

Ms Novas, wearing a white top and black trousers, appeared in court in person while Mr Winkless appeared before magistrates via a prison video-link.

The female defendant, of Raunds, Northamptonshire, was granted bail with conditions not to contact Mr Winkless, not to contact any serving HMP prisoner by any means and not to attend any prison except by prior arrangement.