**Ex-Prison Officer Faces Charges Over Secret Calls and Texts With Inmate Involved in Machete Attack**

**Ex-Prison Officer Faces Charges Over Secret Calls and Texts With Inmate Involved in Machete Attack**

In a shocking development that highlights serious lapses in prison security and oversight, Heather Pinchbeck, a 28-year-old former prison officer, has been charged with illicit communication with an inmate she met while working at HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire. The allegations involve her allegedly exchanging phone calls, texts, and nude images with Joseph Hardy, a prisoner serving a 14-year sentence for a brutal machete attack.

The charges against Pinchbeck accuse her of willfully abusing her position of trust by using illegal communication devices to contact Hardy, who was involved in a violent incident that resulted in a man losing his leg. Hardy, 31, was convicted of using a machete in an argument that turned deadly, inflicting severe injuries including a fractured skull, with his victim’s leg being severed entirely.

The alleged misconduct took place between February and March 2023, during which Pinchbeck is accused of engaging in illicit communication with Hardy, violating prison regulations and public trust. The court proceedings reveal that Hardy has already pleaded guilty to assault and is now facing further charges related to the illicit communications.

Pinchbeck, who now works as a business management executive, has emphasized her background in the Prison Service, claiming her experience provided her with valuable administrative expertise. She is employed by MIH Group, a reputable company, and has previously been recognized for her qualifications in business administration.

The case raises concerns about the security protocols within prisons and the potential for staff to abuse their authority. It also underscores the risks posed when communication channels meant to be strictly controlled are exploited. Authorities are still determining whether Pinchbeck was dismissed or resigned from her prison role amid the ongoing investigation.

As legal proceedings continue, the case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safeguarding integrity within correctional facilities and the potential consequences when breaches occur at the highest levels of trust.

---

PRISON OFFICER FLIRTED WITH CONVICTED MURDERER OVER “TIGHT TROUSERS” — ROMANCE EXPOSED AFTER ILLEGAL PHONE FOUND IN CELL

 PRISON OFFICER FLIRTED WITH CONVICTED MURDERER OVER “TIGHT TROUSERS” — ROMANCE EXPOSED AFTER ILLEGAL PHONE FOUND IN CELL

It began behind locked doors on a prison wing designed to separate danger from discipline, but ended in a courtroom where trust, authority and professional boundaries were laid bare.

A female prison officer who flirted with a convicted murderer — including asking whether her trousers were “too tight” — has avoided jail after an illicit relationship was uncovered inside one of Britain’s prisons.

Jasmine Hope, 31, was working as a prison officer at HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire when she became involved with a male inmate identified only as IM, a prisoner serving time for murder.

The relationship began in May 2023, shortly after Hope started her role at the Category B men’s prison.

Nottingham Crown Court heard that Hope was assigned to D wing, where IM was housed, and it was there that professional boundaries slowly collapsed.

What started as inappropriate familiarity developed into flirtatious communication, secret messaging and sexualised exchanges — all strictly forbidden within the prison system.

The affair remained hidden until January 2024, when prison staff discovered an illegal mobile phone inside the prisoner’s cell.

When investigators examined the device, they found it contained messages, WhatsApps and voice notes exchanged between Hope and the inmate.

The contents shocked officers.

Prosecutor Lauren Fisher told the court the messages revealed an ongoing flirtation that crossed far beyond casual conversation.

In one exchange, Hope asked the prisoner: “Can you remember when you FaceTimed me and we were being naughty on video?”

Another message referred to an incident inside the prison itself, where Hope had allegedly asked the inmate: “Are my trousers too tight?”

According to the court, the prisoner replied: “You just made my c--- twitch.”

The judge was told the messages were sexually explicit in tone and completely incompatible with Hope’s position of authority.

Even more concerning, prosecutors said the relationship did not end when Hope was suspended from duty.

She was formally suspended from her role in July 2024, yet forensic examination of her phone showed she continued communicating with the murderer as late as September that year.

The court heard that the continued contact demonstrated a sustained breach of trust rather than a momentary lapse of judgment.

In a police interview, Hope admitted the messages were “flirty” and said she felt embarrassed by their content.

She claimed she had been going through “a really hard time” emotionally and mentally during the period of the relationship.

Despite this, prosecutors stressed that prison officers receive extensive training on professional boundaries, corruption risks and the dangers of manipulation by inmates — particularly those convicted of serious violent crimes.

Hope pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office, one of the most serious offences available when public servants abuse their position.

Sentencing her, Recorder Balraj Bhatia KC told the court that her actions had the potential to undermine public confidence in the prison system.

He said her behaviour represented a significant breach of trust, adding that prison officers hold positions of power that must never be exploited.

The judge told Hope the only reason she avoided immediate custody was that the relationship had not become physical.

Had it crossed that line, he said, a prison sentence would have been unavoidable.

Instead, Hope was handed a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

She was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and attend 15 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions.

Addressing her directly, the judge said she had shown remorse and shame for what she had done, but emphasised the seriousness of the offence.

Cases involving inappropriate relationships between prison staff and inmates continue to raise major concerns across the justice system.

Such relationships can compromise security, facilitate contraband, expose staff to coercion and place other officers at risk.

For IM — a convicted murderer — the illegal phone alone represented a serious breach of prison security.

For Hope, the consequences were career-ending.

Suspended, convicted and publicly named, her actions have left her barred from frontline prison work and permanently marked by a criminal conviction.

The case stands as another stark reminder of how easily authority can be eroded when boundaries blur behind bars.

Should prison officers who engage in relationships with dangerous offenders face automatic jail?

And is the current system doing enough to protect staff before lines are crossed?

Coroner Concerned About The Risk of Future Deaths From Racist Violence in Prisons

 

Coroner Concerned About The Risk of Future Deaths From Racist Violence in Prisons

The Assistant Coroner for Southwark has issued a lengthy Report to Prevent Future Deaths following the inquest into the murder of Sundeep Ghuman by his racist cell mate at Belmarsh prison in 2020.

36 year old Sundeep was in a triple cell inside Belmarsh prison when on 7 February 2020 two prisoners were moved from another wing to share with him. They were cousins and one of them,  Steven Hilden, was known to be racist. On 18 February 2020, while all 3 were locked in the cell Hilden assaulted Sundeep with a table leg causing unsurvivable head injuries. Sundeep was taken to the Royal London Hospital but died the following day.

Sundeep’s mother, our client,  embarked upon a long journey to seek justice and accountability for her. First through criminal proceedings, and then through the inquest.

The jury at the inquest into his death concluded that there were failings in the assessment of the risk presented by Hilden’s racism and that the relevant policy was not followed.

The Coroner has now issued a Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths covering the following issues:

• The National Cell Share Risk Assessment Policy

The risk assessment policy, which was specifically introduced to protect against racist violence following the murder Zahid Mubarek in Feltham in 2000, was not being followed at Belmarsh or High Down (where Hilden was previously been). Both were instead operating their own different systems. This was not known by those with responsibility for the policy nationally, despite procedures to audit and monitor compliance with the policy.

Staff at Belmarsh emphasised the need to maximise occupancy by sharing cells and were not aware that the guiding principle of the policy was one of caution. This led to people sharing cells when they should not.

In his report, the coroner stated this demonstrated a “a systemic failing of training and operational understanding, and a disconnect between those responsible for creating and maintaining the policy and those who take operational decisions within the prisons”.

• NOMIS Alerts – a marker placed on a digital file

Alerts on a prisoner’s electronic prison file (known as NOMIS) were another measure introduced in response to Zahid’s murder.

The Coroner found there was a lack of understanding and consistency on how an active alert for racism should be approached when assessing suitability of cell sharing.

An unstructured approach and lack of training has created a risk that an active alert may be inappropriately disregarded, leading to potentially fatal racist violence.

• Considering risks beyond the minimum required by the policy

The evidence given at the inquest was that the threshold for making someone High Risk to share a cell based on a history of violence was a very high one, as was the threshold for someone being regarded as vulnerable.

The view of those responsible for the policy is that it provides a baseline only and judgements should be made beyond this to minimise problems caused by cell sharing. By contrast, staff at Belmarsh considered cell moves to be a daily occurrence, governed only by the cell share risk assessment with no further consideration necessary or appropriate.

The Coroner found this gives rise to a risk that someone prone to violence will share a cell with someone who is at risk of violence. This risk is heightened if the other person has a level of vulnerability.

Additionally, despite Spice use being widespread and officers being well aware of the prisoners who use it in their cells this currently has no bearing on cell sharing suitability. Which means that, as the inquest heard, someone like Sundeep who was trying to stay away from Spice was placed in a cell with  known Spice users.

• A concern for prisoners at Belmarsh given the evidence of widespread violence and drug use in the prison.

The inquest heard about widespread levels of prisoner-on-prisoner violence and use of drugs, especially Spice at HMP Belmarsh. The evidence of staff was that this was unavoidable. However, this did not correspond with findings in adjudications or criminal proceedings. Hilden’s history included multiple instances of violence and racism which were recorded in intelligence reports and on NOMIS but many didn’t proceed to an adjudication suggesting staff do not consider that they can always take robust action and formal measures.

The Coroner expressed a concern that the Prison “may not currently be capable of providing a safe and secure environment for prisoners accommodated there, and that there is a risk of future deaths from drug use or violence”.

A reply from the Secretary of State for Justice and the Governor of HMP Belmarsh is due soon.

DPG’s Jo Eggleton has said

“It is deeply concerning that the very systems introduced following the racist murder of Zahid Mubarek in 2000, failed to protect Sundeep twenty-five years later. The similarities between the two cases are striking and troubling.”

Prison worker jailed over affair with inmate

 A prison support worker who had an affair with an inmate has been jailed for six months.

Heidi Bessant, 38, began a relationship with the man while she was working at HMP Leyhill, a category D open prison in South Gloucestershire, in November 2023.

Their affair continued until June 2024 when an investigation into the pair was launched by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).

Bessant, from Chepstow, was jailed at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting misconduct in a public office.

Two rapists among Met officers not properly vetted

 Two serial rapists were among 131 officers and staff in the Metropolitan Police who committed crimes or misconduct after they were not properly vetted, a review has found.

David Carrick, one of the UK's worst sex offenders, and Cliff Mitchell were among the police officers who were not properly checked. Mitchell was allowed to join the force in 2020 after a vetting panel, partly aimed at improving diversity, overturned a decision to reject him despite a previous rape allegation.

The cases were revealed in a vetting review of the 10 years up to the end of March 2023.

Assistant Commissioner Rachel Williams acknowledged that the "public will be really concerned" by the lapse in vetting procedures.

She added that the report was part of "ongoing work to demand the highest standards across the Met".

Other serious crimes committed by officers and staff included drug use, violent attacks and affray.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "Abandoning vetting checks on officers was a dereliction of the Met's duty to keep London safe.

"I have asked the Chief Inspector of Constabulary to carry out an inspection as I seek to restore trust in the force's ability to protect and serve the public."

Carrick, who was given 37 life sentences for his crimes, was not properly vetted during a vetting renewal in 2017 – he first joined the Met in 2001 – with checks failing to reveal an allegation of domestic abuse against him.

Mitchell, who carried out a "campaign of rape" on two victims, was recruited despite an earlier allegation of raping a child.

His recruitment was initially refused after failing the vetting process due to the allegation but his application was looked at by a vetting panel, which has since been abolished.

Part of its aim was to tackle disproportionality in the workforce. The panel, first established in 2018, overturned decisions to refuse vetting of 114 officers and staff, of whom 25 went on to commit misconduct or have been accused of a crime.

The review said senior officers faced political pressure and had to meet recruitment targets or lose funding to other forces.

The review published on Thursday found that thousands of police officers and staff were not properly checked amid pressure during a national recruitment drive from July 2019 to March 2023.

Senior officers at the Met chose not to meet national guidelines amid a scramble to find more than 4,500 recruits.

The deviations from standard practice meant thousands of references were not checked, and shortcuts in vetting led to there being some officers and staff who should not have been in the force. This contributed to "police-perpetrated harm" and damaged public trust, the review said.

Under the Police Uplift Programme, forces in England and Wales were expected to recruit 20,000 officers within three and a half years to replace those cut during austerity, and funding was ringfenced and lost if targets were not met.

"Senior leaders embarked on an assertive approach towards hiring and vetting practices in order to meet what would become unachievable recruitment targets and grow the Metropolitan Police Service's (MPS) workforce at pace," the report stated.

"The focus appeared to be on speed and output; this unintentionally compromised integrity."

The report said 5,073 officers and staff were not properly vetted, of whom 4,528 had no Special Branch vetting checks, 431 had no Ministry of Defence checks and 114 had a vetting refusal overturned by a Met internal panel.

Another 3,338 who were due for vetting renewal underwent only limited checks.

The Met estimated that about 1,200 people who joined the force may have had their vetting refused under normal practices, out of around 27,300 applications.

Separately, 17,355 officers and staff did not have their references properly checked, if at all, between 2018 and April 2022.

The Met has not checked each of these files, but estimates that about 250 of these employees would not have got a job if their references had been checked.

'Farcical situation'

The review found that senior officers had faced political pressure and had to meet recruitment targets or lose funding to other forces.

The report concluded: "There were deviations from policy and practice, overconfidence in the ability to recruit at scale and lack of resources in vetting increased risk."

Since Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley took on the UK's top policing job in September 2022, about 1,500 officers have been sacked in what has been dubbed as a clean-up of the force.

Williams said: "In publishing this report today, we are being open and transparent about past vetting and recruitment practices that led, in some cases, to unsuitable people joining the Met.

"We have been honest with Londoners on many occasions about previous shortcomings in our professional standards approach.

"We found that some historical practices did not meet the strengthened hiring and vetting standards we have today. We identified these issues ourselves and have fixed them quickly while making sure any risk to the public has been properly and effectively managed."

She added: "The Met recruits hundreds of officers and staff every year, the overwhelming majority of exemplary character who are dedicated to protecting the public."

Paula Dodds, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: "Today's report illustrates a farcical situation in which hitting a numerical target of recruits has taken precedence over normal checks and balances.

"The good, brave and hard-working colleagues we represent are the first to say that the small minority of officers who are not fit to serve should not be in the police service."

Can the Met rebuild trust?

Analysis by Sima Kotecha, senior UK correspondent

In recent years, critics have questioned how so many "bad apples" have been able to find employment in Britain's largest force.

The review's findings won't be surprising to them. Some have raised serious doubts about those very vetting processes, accusing them in the past of being "slack".

The concern now is how many who shouldn't be in the force because they would have failed the checks that weren't made, are still there?

The Met says the numbers of those are small but some will argue it only takes one person to break the law and do something horrendous such as commit rape or murder.

These revelations could fuel further mistrust in the force - and some Londoners are likely to ask how they can have confidence in their officers when these errors were made.

The Met police will hope their response to the review that they've strengthened their processes since the mistakes were made will ease some of those worries.

CPS authorises charges against former Metropolitan Police Officer

 The CPS has today announced that John Doyle, 53, has been charged with coercive or controlling behaviour alongside several counts of rape and misconduct in public office following allegations in relation to a twelve-year period of offending that was first reported in 2024.  

Catherine P Baccas, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS London South said: 
“The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to charge John Doyle with controlling or coercive behaviour, several counts of rape, assault by penetration and misconduct in public office.

“This follows allegations made by a woman relating to a period of alleged abuse spanning 12 years.

“Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to do so.

“We have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police as they have carried out their investigation into the allegations.

“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds everyone that proceedings are now active, and the defendant has the right to a fair trial.

“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.” 

Ex-prison officer jailed for sex act on inmate

 A former prison officer has been jailed after she was captured on her body-worn video camera performing a sex act on an inmate.

Rebecca Pinckard, 46, had the "intimate encounter" with Erion Nakdi, 42, in a store cupboard at HMP Highpoint near Haverhill, Suffolk, Cambridge Crown Court was told.

The mother, from Six Mile Bottom in Cambridgeshire, had previously sent a "loving" Moonpig card to the Albanian national, who is serving a 16-year sentence for drug offences.

After admitting misconduct in a public office at an earlier hearing, she was jailed on Friday for 32 weeks.

Gavin Burrell, prosecuting, said Pinckard was caught performing the sex act on Nakdi in two video clips filmed five minutes apart on her body-worn camera, on 5 July 2024.

The clips were found by another officer who was reviewing footage for evidence.

Judge Anthony Cartin said Pinckard's offending was "only discovered because of a clumsy mistake".

"Your camera had been activated during the intimate encounter," he said.

"The offence wasn't a one-off – it went on for a number of months and the card was sent."

Jailing Pinckard, he said her "conduct diminishes the public confidence in the criminal justice system".

He said sexual videos of Nakdi in his cell were recovered from Pinckard's phone, and "it's accepted the videos were filmed in prison then sent via social media by messaging".

The prosecutor said the phone that the videos were filmed on "has never been recovered".

Nakdi, who appeared in court by prison video link, admitted at an earlier hearing to the unauthorised possession of a mobile phone in prison between 2 July and 6 July 2024.

He was jailed for 10 months consecutive to his existing sentence of 16 years and three months over a conspiracy to supply class A drugs, for which he was sentenced at Luton Crown Court in 2022.

Rory Keene, for Nakdi, said: "This is really a tragic case of an emotional attraction between two people."

He described the Moonpig card as a "loving card".

'Over-familiar'

Juliet Donovan, mitigating for Pinckard, said it was a "moment of madness" and it was "not a relationship".

She said Pinckard had been in a "19-year relationship - she had just left that relationship" and "her home life at the time... was particularly difficult".

She added that the mother sent the greetings card as Nakdi "explained he had been having problems with his girlfriend" and Pinckard wanted "to try to cheer him up".

The court heard Pinckard had been given a warning in October 2023 after being "over-familiar" with prisoners.

Her barrister said Pinckard's "giving of cakes and sweets" was "naively and stupidly trying to make the lives of prisoners somewhat better".

After a death in custody

 When someone dies in custody it can have a significant impact on those around them and may leave questions about what happens next. In this article, we focus on what happens after a death in prison, what investigations take place, how you can feed your concerns into the process if you want to, and how to get support if you need it. This information is set out in the Follow-up to Deaths in Custody Policy Framework. 

If someone dies in custody, it triggers several investigations:

• prisons must carry out an Early Learning Review (ELR) in cases of apparently self-inflicted death or unexpected death, to identify immediate learning. 
• police will gather facts about the death on behalf of the coroner and, if necessary, undertake a criminal investigation.
• the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, and his or her staff – known collectively as the PPO – investigate all deaths in custody, regardless of cause. The PPO are independent of the prison service. They investigate the circumstances of the death and produce a report setting out their findings, with recommendations for any actions required to mitigate the risk of further deaths.
• a coroner’s inquest will take place. This is a public hearing, sometimes with a jury, where an independent coroner looks at the facts of a death to understand who died, when and where they died, and how it happened. It does not involve deciding blame or guilt.

Prisons must cooperate fully with all these investigations. This includes facilitating access for investigators, providing relevant documents, and enabling interviews with prisoners and staff.

Shortly after the death, the prison should display a notice about the PPO investigation around the prison, inviting anyone with relevant information to contact the PPO directly. The PPO investigator may then ask to interview you. They may also want to interview people who knew the prisoner who died, and those living in cells close by. You should not face any negative consequences for speaking to the PPO.

If you have an interview with the PPO, it will normally take place within sight, but out of the hearing of staff, unless you or the PPO, request that it takes place within hearing. You may be allowed to have a friend or adviser present, so long as that person would normally be allowed to visit you. The PPO will normally provide a written summary of the interview to any prisoner interviewed. If the PPO wishes to speak to you by telephone, they will contact the prison to arrange this. You must not lose pay as a result of an interview or telephone conversation that takes place at the request of the PPO.

If you think you have important information to share with the PPO after someone has died in custody you can do so. You can write to them for free at: 

Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Third Floor, 10 South Colonnade, London, E14 4PU.

The coroner may also decide to call a prisoner as a witness to the inquest. Prisons are required to facilitate this so that the evidence can be heard in the most appropriate way. 

Prisons must have procedures in place to support prisoners who have been affected by a death in custody. Appropriate care and support must be offered to the cellmate and any other prisoners affected by the death. This includes allowing Listeners to offer support to prisoners on the wing where an unexpected death has occurred and to others who may have been connected to the person who died. 

The policy states that local Samaritans staff must be able to see the Listener team as soon as possible after a death. If a Listener is asked to see the police, Coroner’s Officer, or an investigating officer after a death, Samaritans staff must be given the opportunity to be present at the interview.

If you feel that you have been affected by a death in custody and need support, it is worth speaking to someone about this. You could also speak to:

• prison staff, such as staff on your wing or a keyworker
• staff from the safer custody team
• healthcare staff
• chaplaincy
• a Listener

Mouldy wing

 HMP Exeter is a remand prison with one wing closed for renovations. D-wing is for security-vetted prisoners because of cell doors being unlocked as there are communal toilets. Over a year ago, engineers managed to somehow block the air-conditioning ventilation system for the wing.

Now there is no airflow, and as our wing is on the outside wall, our windows do not open. As a consequence our cells are constantly mouldy due to condensation. A governor came to have a look and said “It just needs a cleaner who is over 6-foot tall to wipe the mould off the walls every couple of days with warm soapy water.”

Meanwhile, the lads who have asthma, lung problems and COPD are stuck on remand in conditions that the lady from the IMB called “slums” and “a disgrace”. Only one prisoner on this wing is convicted, the rest of us are ‘innocent until proven guilty’.  The prisons are all overcrowded so there is no chance of transfer.

The attitude of staff and governors is ‘wipe it off and shut up’. I wonder if any of them would put up with this in their homes.

Deaths in prison at the highest level ever, according to Ministry of Justice Statistics

 A statistical bulletin, published by the Ministry of Justice, shows that 394 people in prison died in 2025 – a 15% increase on the previous year. They included 79 people who died in circumstances recorded as “self-inflicted”. The number of women who died rose sharply to 13, up from nine in 2024.

The total death toll in 2025 exceeds the previous high of 373 which was recorded in 2021, when prisons were effectively in lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, there was a 4.3% drop in self-harm in prisons, with 74,521 incidents of self-harm in the 12 months to the end of September 2025. The rate of self-harm incidents fell by 3.2% in men’s prisons and fell by 2.8% in women’s prisons.

Over the same period, prisons recorded 31,555 assaults – a 6% rise on the figures for the previous 12 months. The rate of assaults was 83% higher in female establishments than in male establishments.

Commenting on these figures, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.) Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “The dire state of our prisons is revealed starkly in today’s figures. When almost 400 people die behind bars in a single year, it is a national scandal, and it overshadows the otherwise encouraging slight decrease in the very high rates of self-harm. More needs to be done to reduce pressure on the prison population, and further action will save lives, protect staff, and help more people to move on from crime.”

Violence, overcrowding, self-harm: BBC goes inside one of Britain’s most dangerous prisons

Source: BBC

 There’s chaos in HMP Pentonville.

A piercing alarm alerts us to what prison officers describe as an “incident”. There’s a cacophony of slamming metal doors, keys jangling, and shouts and screams from inmates as officers race to see what’s happened. We run behind as they head to where the trouble is.

Cell doors and chipped painted white bars are just about the only scenery as we move through this chaotic and nerve-jangling environment.

A muffled walkie-talkie tells us it’s a case of self-harm. An inmate who’s been locked up for most of the day has carved “mum and dad” into his arm with a sharp object. A quick glance into the cell and the sight of blood. A prison officer crouches down, stemming the flow.

The BBC has been given rare access to HMP Pentonville men's prison in north London at a time of major crisis for jails in England and Wales.

Next week, with prisons across the country running out of cells for new inmates, the government will release some offenders early in a controversial scheme aimed at easing the overwhelming pressure on a system on the brink of collapse.

Over the course of two days inside Pentonville this week, we were confronted with the stark reality of this crisis.

The pressure on staff is immense. In just half a day, we hear six alarms. The day before there were more than 30. Prison officers don’t know what they’re running towards behind those locked and bolted doors. Blood, violence or even death are all possibilities.

Shay Dhury has been a prison officer here for almost five years and says she’s never seen it this bad. Recently, both her wrists were broken as she tried to separate two gang members during a fight. She believes gang-related crime is one of the main reasons there are so many people in prisons, especially Pentonville.

“They go for each other - and when two people go, other people go,” she says. “It ends up us just trying to stop the fight. It gets really messy sometimes - stressful, yeah.”

• Prison population reaches record high in England and Wales

• Ministers eye novel fixes to the prisons crisis

• Prisoners will be released early. Can that really fix overcrowded jails?

• Rat-infested jail needs urgent measures - report

HMP Pentonville was built in 1842 and is largely unchanged structurally in 180 years. Originally designed to hold 520 people in single cells, it now has an operational capacity of 1,205, with two prisoners packed into each cell.

The jail is dangerously close to capacity - with just nine beds remaining when we are there. And humans are not the only inmates here: mice and cockroaches are rife.

The government says Pentonville epitomises the challenges facing ageing, inner-city prisons with transient populations who have varied and complex needs.

More than 80% of Pentonville inmates are on remand, which means they are awaiting trial. The rest have been convicted of serious crimes including murder, rape, and drug offences.

Remand is at a 50-year high across England and Wales - and that’s partly down to a backlog in the criminal courts. Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures show the Crown Court system has a backlog of more than 60,000 cases. The Magistrates Court has a backlog of more than 300,000 cases.

Tom - not his real name - is on remand. His cell is tiny. It’s around seven feet by six feet (2m x 1.8m) and has a pungent smell of urine, faeces, and rotten food. A bunk bed takes up most of the space. The toilet, in the corner beside the sink, is leaking and there are wet splashes on the floor.

“I've been telling them about that for three weeks,” Tom says. “I could fix it - I'm actually a plumber - but it had no washers in there.”

Overcrowding impacts all areas of life inside. With fewer officers to inmates, prisoners’ needs can’t always be met, which means some, like Tom, are living in cells that aren’t properly operational for several weeks when repairs are needed.

Michael Lewis is inside for drug offences. He’s 38 and has been in and out of jail for several years, but hopes this will be his last stint.

“It’s hard to rehabilitate yourself in a place where you've got gang violence, postcode wars, drug violence, money wars,” he says, highlighting how overstretched staff are.

“They're trying to do this, this, this and this - but now you want help as well? So it's hard.”

He tells me about the night he woke to find his former cellmate trying to hang himself.

“I could tell he wasn't dead because he was still breathing, he’s still warm,” Lewis says, describing the wait for a prison officer to come to help.

“He can't open the door on his own at night - keys and everything, security risk,” Lewis explains. “Waited for another staff member - and as soon as he came in he saw to him.

“He survived.”

'I would rather die'

I’ve been to several prisons and the situation at Pentonville is the worst I have seen.

The staff seem to be doing what they can in very difficult circumstances, fighting problems, crises, and violence - but they are often struggling to cope.

Sixteen people will be released from here next week when the government releases thousands of offenders early. The prison’s governor, Simon Drysdale, says that will alleviate some of the pressure and mean more people who’ve been sent to Pentonville - a reception prison serving all London courts - can be transferred on to other jails because they too will have more available cells.

“Our total focus is on making sure that we've got space and capacity,” Mr Drysdale says. “That takes up a large proportion of our thinking space and a lot of the staff's time, and because of that we don't get as much time as we would like to think about things like getting men into more meaningful work.”

But some Pentonville inmates are doubtful that 16 inmates being released from here will make a difference. One, who didn’t want to be filmed, speaks to us while crouched on the floor with his back against the wall.

“Nothing will ever change,” he says, sobbing.

“They don’t care about us. I would rather die.”