A burglar who filmed himself having sex with a teenage prison guard and uploaded the footage on Snapchat has had his sentence increased by five years. Declan Winkless, 31, originally received a three-year and four-month sentence for seven offences including prison smuggling and misconduct in a public office, but the Court of Appeal quashed that term on Tuesday (June 30) and replaced it with a five-year imprisonment.
Background of the case
Winkless, formerly of Kirkdale Road, South Wigston, is already serving an 11-year sentence for aggravated burglary. His additional sentence was increased following a submission to the Court of Appeal on behalf of the Solicitor General, who argued the original term was unduly lenient. The three-year sentence handed to former prison officer Alicia Novas, 20, of Holdenby Drive, Raunds, remains unchanged.
Inappropriate relationship and smuggling
Novas, who was 18 and had just started her career as a prison officer on July 1, 2024, began an inappropriate relationship with Winkless in November 2024. She smuggled cannabis, tobacco, and two mobile phones into HMP Five Wells and HMP Peterborough for him, and passed confidential prison intelligence, including the identity of a prison informant. The offences occurred between August 1, 2024, and March 21, 2025.
Investigation and arrests
The investigation, conducted by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, found that Novas was arrested in December 2024 after a mobile phone was discovered during a search of Winkless's cell. Despite her bail conditions, contact between the pair continued.
Official statements
Detective Inspector Richard Cornell, from the East Midlands Regional Prisons Intelligence Unit, said: "These sentences reflect the gravity of the multitude of offences committed. Novas had only just begun her career as a prison officer, having taken up her position on July 1, 2024." He added: "Unfortunately Novas used her position to form an inappropriate relationship with Winkless and to breach public trust and confidence further by illegally passing on information and smuggling drugs and mobile phones to him. Winkless undoubtedly encouraged this relationship and the unprofessional and illegal conduct carried out by Novas, and this is reflected in the charges he also faced and the sentence he has now received."
