A woman prison officer has been sentenced to jail for engaging in a sexual act with an inmate, which was recorded on her own body-worn camera.
Rebecca Pinckard, aged 46, had a private encounter with prisoner Erion Nakdi, aged 42, in a storage room at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk. Pinckard, a mother from Cambridgeshire, had previously sent a card to Nakdi, who is serving a 16-year prison term for drug-related crimes. She pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison.
During the trial, prosecutor Gavin Burrell revealed that Pinckard was caught on camera engaging in a sexual act with Nakdi in two separate video clips filmed five minutes apart on July 5, 2024. The incriminating footage was discovered by another officer reviewing the body-worn camera recordings. Judge Anthony Cartin emphasized that the misconduct was only exposed due to an inadvertent discovery by an evidence-gathering officer.
The judge remarked that the offense was not an isolated incident but had been ongoing for several months, as evidenced by the card previously sent by Pinckard to Nakdi. Pinckard’s actions were deemed to undermine public confidence in the criminal justice system, leading to her sentencing.
Additionally, it was disclosed that Pinckard had received sexual videos of Nakdi in his prison cell on her mobile phone, which were then shared through social media messaging. The judge criticized Pinckard for not reporting the videos to the authorities upon receiving them.
Nakdi, appearing via a prison video link, admitted to unauthorized possession of a mobile phone in prison and received an additional 10-month sentence on top of his existing 16-year and three-month sentence for drug-related offenses.
Representing Nakdi, lawyer Rory Keene described the unauthorized device as a communal phone and characterized the card sent by Pinckard as a gesture of affection.
In defense of Pinckard, her lawyer Juliet Donovan portrayed the incident as a momentary lapse in judgment amid personal turmoil, emphasizing that it was not a romantic relationship. Donovan highlighted Pinckard’s difficult personal circumstances at the time and clarified that there was no ongoing communication with Nakdi beyond the incident with the card.
The court was informed that Pinckard had previously been cautioned for being overly friendly with inmates in 2023, with her actions, such as giving treats to prisoners, perceived as misguided attempts to improve their well-being.
Pinckard displayed emotion during the sentencing proceedings and appeared visibly upset as she was taken into custody.