Female prison officer who kissed inmate and sent ‘flirtatious' messages jailed
A prison officer has been jailed for a year after she kissed and sat on the lap of an inmate whom she had been in a relationship with at HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire.
Toni Cole, 29, shared 4,431 texts and calls with a 28-year prisoner over a five-month period which were 'sexualised or flirtatious' in nature, including a photograph of underwear, Northamptonshire Police said.
Cole pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment and ordered to pay £187 surcharge at Northampton Crown Court on February 13.
The force said Cole spent 'considerable time' with the prisoner, whom she admitted she had kissed on at least one occasion, at the prison in Wellingborough.
Police said the relationship came to light during a meeting on January 25 2023, which had been arranged to discuss an unauthorised overtime shift she had worked two days earlier.
The force said CCTV footage of that shift showed the prisoner with his arm around Cole.
The prison officer, of Gordon Road, Wellingborough, had her Samsung S22 mobile phone seized from her locker when she was arrested and police found that there had been at least 18 video calls between the pair and they had shared messages between September 2022 and January 2023.
The investigation also found that the prison officer had sat on the inmate's lap and 'promised to tip him off' if she found out his cell was going to be 'spun' by her colleagues, police said.
Detective Inspector Richard Cornell, from East Midland special operations unit's regional prison intelligence unit, said: 'Toni Cole knew what she was doing was totally inappropriate, and that her behaviour was not only putting her at risk, but also the safety of her colleagues and inmates.
'The majority of prison staff carry out their duties to the highest standards, and I hope this sentence sends a clear message to those who seek to undermine public trust while holding positions of authority that inappropriate relationships will be robustly dealt with using the full force of the law.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Man from Ghana charged after alleged blackmail of Buffalo victim
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A man from Ghana faces an extortion charge after he allegedly used nude photographs of a victim in Buffalo to blackmail him, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Cross Abu Cole, 21, possessed nude photographs of the Buffalo male when he was a minor, according to a complaint made by the victim in October 2022. Cole then allegedly demanded $200 be sent to him otherwise he would send the photos to people the victim knew on Snapchat. The man also possessed a nude photo of the victim's friend, officials said. Numerous threats for money were made and nude photographs were sent out. An investigation traced the telephone number threats to Cole. He was taken into custody in Texas and was charged by criminal complaint with interstate communications with intent to extort. Cole faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Boston Globe
Driver suspected in fatal wrong-way crash on I-95 that killed Endicott College police sergeant to face charges in N.H.
Advertisement The Endicott police sergeant, Duarte was previously arraigned on charges in Essex Superior Court in March, after a New Hampshire authorities say troopers saw Duarte traveling in a Tesla heading south on the interstate's northbound lanes just before midnight. They notified Massachusetts State Police, who spotted Duarte as he crossed into Massachusetts, the statement said. Duarte continued south and collided with Cole's 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer in Newbury, authorities said. Cole was pronounced dead at the scene. Duarte suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, officials said. Advertisement At the hospital, officials found Duarte's blood alcohol level showed a reading of .16, double the legal limit, according to Massachusetts prosecutors. Duarte allegedly drove the wrong way on the highway for about 14 miles before the crash, officials said. New Hampshire State Police said Duarte was initially heading north on I-95 in Hampton and pulled into the parking lot of a New Hampshire state liquor store on the northbound side of the highway. Security video of the lot allegedly showed Duarte driving through before departing through the entrance at about 11:45 p.m. It was not immediately clear Friday if Duarte was being represented by an attorney in the New Hampshire case. Messages were left with his Massachusetts attorney seeking comment. Nick Stoico can be reached at
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Trump's Pentagon keeps sending destroyers that fought in the Red Sea to the US southern border — a fourth one is on its way
The Defense Department is sending another destroyer, USS Cole, to the southern border mission. Cole is the latest destroyer to go from the Red Sea conflict to America's backyard. The warship is one of the many military assets the White House has sent to the US-Mexico border. A fourth US Navy destroyer that participated in the Red Sea conflict is on its way to support President Donald Trump's southern border mission, bringing a range of advanced naval combat capabilities to a very different operating environment. The Navy announced Friday that the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Cole had left its homeport in Florida to support US Northern Command's "border security objectives." The Trump administration has made cracking down on maritime-related criminal activity, including weapons smuggling, drug trafficking, and illegal immigration, a top priority, and the Defense Department has sent military assets to the US-Mexico border. Among these assets are five destroyers and a littoral combat ship on staggered deployments. Cole, like the other warships, is set to be accompanied by a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment. They specialize in military operations at sea, such as counterterrorism, counterpiracy, and anti-immigration missions. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the Cole are advanced naval surface ships with robust communications and sensor suites and are suited for long-endurance missions. These vessels can be armed with surface-to-air and land-attack missiles. Other armaments include the ship's five-inch deck gun, machine guns, and a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System. The Navy said that the Cole's deployment to the southern border "aims to enhance maritime security and support interagency collaboration in the region through presence operations" and the support of the Coast Guard operators, who can perform vessel boardings, searches, and seizures to target drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and maritime criminal activity. Cole's new assignment makes it the latest destroyer to go from the Red Sea conflict, where it defended international shipping lanes from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, to patrolling the waters near the US-Mexico border. It follows in the footsteps of USS Gravely, USS Stockdale, and USS Spruance, which all had extensive Middle East deployments last year. When the Cole arrives in the Gulf of Mexico, which the Trump administration has renamed the Gulf of America, it will be one of two destroyers actively participating in the mission. The other warship, USS Sampson, departed its homeport in San Diego a few days ago and will be operating in the Pacific Ocean. Read the original article on Business Insider
