A 20-year-old former prison officer, Alicia Novas, has been sentenced to three years in prison for engaging in a sexual relationship with inmate Declan Winkless, 31, and smuggling cannabis and two phones into HMP Five Wells, a Category C adult men’s prison in Wellingborough, North Northamptonshire. Winkless received a sentence of three years and four months, to be served consecutively with his existing 11-year, three-month sentence for conspiracies to burgle.
During the court proceedings at Northampton Crown Court, Judge Rebecca Crane revealed that Novas had shared her personal phone number with Winkless, resulting in nearly 3,000 exchanged messages and the use of four illicit devices by Winkless. Additionally, two videos depicting Novas engaging in sexual activities while in her prison uniform were shared on Snapchat by Winkless and eventually made their way to the media.
Novas admitted to two counts of misconduct in a public office between August 1 and December 24, 2024, while Winkless confessed to “encouraging and assisting” her in these offenses. Both also pleaded guilty to charges related to smuggling contraband into the prison, including cannabis and two mobile phones, as well as unauthorized transmission of images or sound from within the prison.
Judge Crane highlighted the romantic nature of the messages between Novas and Winkless, pointing out that their relationship turned sexual by November 16, 2024. She noted that Winkless had pressured Novas to disclose information about a potential informant within the prison, jeopardizing the informant’s safety and compromising any ongoing investigations.
Describing Novas as “naive and immature,” Judge Crane emphasized that Novas had failed to grasp the seriousness of her actions and their impact on prison security and staff safety. Despite her vulnerability due to her age and lack of experience, the judge emphasized that Novas could have sought help from prison authorities but chose to continue her illicit contact with Winkless.
The defense for Novas highlighted her young age at the time of the offenses, stating that she was only 18 and was unaware of her Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD) at that time. Both Novas and Winkless appeared via video link from HMP Peterborough for their sentencing, with Novas being remanded into custody after pleading guilty and violating her conditional bail terms.
