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An 18-year-old prison officer’s illicit affair with a dangerous inmate exposed an informant, flooded a jail with contraband, and shattered security—revealing a systemic vulnerability that costs London taxpayers and endangers public safety.
As Londoners wake to another dawn, the morning commute and school run are underscored by an unseen crisis festering within the walls of the city’s justice system. The sentencing of Alicia Novas, 20, and inmate Declan Winkless, 31, is not a distant tabloid shock, but a direct breach in the civic fabric that keeps London safe. This case exposes how corruption inside prisons like HMP Five Wells and HMP Peterborough radiates outward, impacting every resident through compromised investigations, squandered public funds, and the potential for escalated crime.
A Cascade of Corruption Endangers All-The facts, as laid bare at Luton Crown Court, read like a thriller plot. Alicia Novas, barely an adult at 18, rapidly entered a sexual relationship with convicted criminal Declan Winkless. In a staggering breach, she filmed explicit videos while in uniform, footage which later exploded on Snapchat and in the press. But the scandal runs far deeper than a salacious affair. Novas became a conduit for contraband, smuggling cannabis, tobacco, and two clandestine mobile phones into Winkless’s hands. These devices became tools of ongoing criminal enterprise and intimidation from behind bars.
The most chilling act, however, was the betrayal that Judge Rebecca Crane said placed a human life in peril. Novas provided Winkless with the name of a prison informant—a “snitch”—effectively painting a target on that individual’s back and sabotaging active police investigations. This single act transformed a misconduct case into a grave threat to the integrity of justice and personal safety.
Defiance and Manipulation After Arrest-Even after her arrest in December 2024 and bail conditions explicitly forbidding contact, Novas’s defiance continued. Through a web of devices, she and Winkless maintained over 3,200 illicit contacts. This persistence underscores the profound manipulation and security failure at play. While the court acknowledged Novas’s youth and a diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder, Judge Crane was unequivocal: the severity of endangering an informant demanded immediate custody. Novas was sentenced to three years for misconduct in a public office and related charges. Winkless received an additional three years and four months, consecutive to his existing 11-year term.
This scandal signifies a direct hit to public safety. When informants are exposed, vital intelligence dries up, allowing criminal networks to operate with impunity, potentially on your street. Every phone smuggled in enables the coordination of drug deals or acts of intimidation across the capital. The millions spent investigating such breaches and reinforcing security are funds diverted from community policing, social services, or infrastructure. It erodes the already fragile trust in the institutions meant to protect society.
Detective Inspector Richard Cornell of the Specialist Crime team stressed this duality: “This was a wilful misconduct… a wholesale breach of the public trust,” while affirming that Novas does not represent the dedicated majority of prison staff. Yet, the damage is done. The case forces urgent questions about vetting, mentorship for young prison staff, and the sophisticated technology needed to block illicit communication. As London moves forward, the lingering question remains: How many other breaches are going unnoticed, and at what cost to the city’s security? The sentence is passed, but the reckoning for the system has only just begun.
