A prison officer who admitted having an “inappropriate” relationship with an inmate and performing oral sex on them will be sentenced next month.
Rebecca Pinckard, of Red House, Six Mile Valley, Suffolk, had a relationship with an inmate at High Point Prison in Newmarket between April and July 2024.
The 46-year-old woman was arrested and charged with willful failure to perform duties/willful misconduct while in office.
She admitted the offense at Cambridge Crown Court after appearing at Suffolk Magistrates’ Court last month and was told she would be sentenced in January.
High Point Prison is one of the largest Category C facilities in England, housing approximately 1,300 prisoners.
According to court documents seen by the BBC, Pinkard “took responsibility” for prisoners with whom she had a relationship, performing sex acts on them and sending them a card.
She appeared before magistrates on November 5, ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing scheduled for December 3 at Cambridge Crown Court.
But the BBC has now learned that she actually appeared in court as early as November 19, when she admitted the charges and was told she would be sentenced on January 16.
“Clear abuse of her position”
The Eastern Regional Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) was informed of the crime on July 8 last year.
At the time, the ERSOU, which consists of staff from seven police forces across the east of England, described the alleged relationship at the time as “inappropriate”.
Detective Inspector Puneet Netar, of the ERSOU regional organized crime unit, said: “Rebecca Pinckard clearly abused her position as a prison officer and made a conscious decision to have a relationship with a prisoner.
“Public trust in the justice system depends on integrity and our teams work closely with the Prison Service to ensure that where misconduct or corruption occurs, those responsible are fully investigated.
“We will continue to work with our partner agencies to target those who abuse their power and hold them to account.”
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