A female prison psychologist has admitted having a secret sexual relationship with a convicted machete killer behind bars.
Guilty plea in court
Dr Amber-Renee Gayle, 32, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday (August 4) and pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office after being accused of having a relationship with lifer Rickarlo Williams, 24, while working at HMP Swinfen Hall in Staffordshire.
Gayle, wearing a white top and black jacket, admitted she had had sexual relations with the inmate between May 1, 2024 and November 30, 2024. Asked for her plea, she replied: “Guilty.”
The court heard she was working as “a public officer, namely a forensic psychologist”, and that she “deliberately misconducted yourself by forming and conducting a sexual relationship with a prisoner, Rickarlo Williams, which amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder.”
Background of the inmate
Williams is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 25.5 years for his role in a frenzied revenge attack in Harrow in December 2021, when 16-year-old Hussein Al-Saabri was murdered with a machete and two other teenagers were left critically injured.
HMP Swinfen Hall is a Category C prison and Young Offender Institution housing men aged 18 to 25.
The illicit relationship is said to have unfolded over around six months, with encounters reportedly taking place during designated therapy sessions, the Sun reported.
Additional charges
Gayle also admitted computer misuse by using the prison system to obtain information about lags and another charge of conspiring with others to bring a mobile phone and Sim cards into jail. She pleaded not guilty to a further charge of conveying cannabis into the jail.
Williams, appearing via live video link from HMP Swinfen Hall, entered a plea over the contraband plot, admitting conspiracy to smuggle mobile phones and SIM cards into the jail, the Daily Mail reported. Asked for his plea, he replied: “Guilty.” He denied the charge of smuggling cannabis into the prison.
Legal consequences
Misconduct in public office is a common-law offence carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, though typical prison terms for serious breaches of trust in custody settings are often measured in years, according to Farleys Solicitors.
The judge will consider factors including the duration of the relationship, the prisoner’s high-risk status, and any security implications around phones.
Gayle has been suspended from practice on an interim order by the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service.
