A 24-year-old prison officer has confessed to engaging in an illegal sexual relationship with a male inmate and conspiring to supply cannabis in a major prison drug smuggling case.
Courtroom Drama and Guilty Pleas
Leah Robinson appeared at Nottingham Crown Court where she admitted two serious charges while facing her alleged partner, prisoner Patryk Dziewiatkowski, via video link from HMP Nottingham. The glamorous officer, pictured for the first time with long honey-coloured hair and wearing a brown check jacket, spoke only to confirm her name and enter her pleas.
Robinson pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office between February 23, 2023 and August 17, 2023 while working as a prison officer at HMP Lowdham Grange. Prosecutor Gareth Weetman described the case as a "drug smuggling case" involving the prison officer.
She appeared upset and shame-faced as she declared "guilty" from the glass-panelled dock when admitting to the sexual relationship with Dziewiatkowski.
Drug Charges and Co-defendants
The Lincolnshire woman, from Cherry Willingham, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a Class B drug, cannabis, between March 10, 2023 and April 18, 2024 alongside five other individuals. Dziewiatkowski pleaded guilty to the same cannabis supply offence.
However, both Robinson and the prisoner pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to supply a Class A drug, cocaine, during the same period with others. Robinson appeared in the dock with three co-defendants - two women and a man - who each denied the drug charges.
Judge Tina Dempster heard the case while Robinson was freed on conditional bail. She faces trial with her co-accused on April 13 next year.
Growing Trend of Prison Staff Misconduct
Robinson represents the latest in a concerning series of attractive prison workers charged over illegal contact with inmates in recent months. Earlier this month, Sarah Barnett, 31, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office involving an illicit relationship with a male prisoner.
Barnett, who has left the Prison Service to work as a beauty therapist, will be sentenced on January 7 next year and faces a possible jail term.
Last month, prison guard Heather Pinchbeck, 28, pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court to making illicit phone calls to a violent inmate she met while on duty. The glamorous blonde, now a business management executive, is due to be sentenced in January.
In September, prison cashier Yolanda Briggs received an eight-month sentence at Lincoln Crown Court for having a sexual relationship with an inmate who bragged about their affair, leading to another convict reporting them.
When leaving court, Robinson declined to discuss her case with the Daily Mail, stating simply: "I have nothing to say." It remains unclear whether she remains in a relationship with Dziewiatkowski, who had been serving time at the Category B men's prison where she worked.
