A teenage prison officer and an inmate have admitted having a sexual relationship and pleaded guilty to misconduct charges.

Alicia Novas, 19, and 30-year-old Declan Winkless pleaded guilty at Northampton Crown Court . Novas had provided her telephone number to the prisoner and failed to report his possession of a phone and cannabis.

The court heard that Novas, acting as a prison custody officer, “wilfully misconducted” herself “in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust”. Winkless is alleged to have encouraged and assisted both offences.

Novas, who stood in the dock wearing a black outfit and glasses, and Winkless, who appeared via videolink from HMP Swaleside in Kent, both admitted misconduct in public office between August and December 2024 at HMP Five Wells in Nort

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