Declan Winkless, a prisoner who recorded himself having sex with a teenage prison guard and distributed the video on Snapchat, has had his prison term extended by the Court of Appeal. The court ruled that his original sentence for smuggling and misconduct in a public office was unduly lenient.
Original Sentence Overturned
Winkless, 31, previously of Kirkdale Road, South Wigston, was already serving an 11-year sentence for aggravated burglary. In January, he received an additional three years and four months, to be served consecutively, after pleading guilty to seven charges at Northampton Crown Court. However, following a referral by the Solicitor General, the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, June 30, substituted that term with a five-year prison sentence.
The three-year sentence given to former prison officer Alicia Novas, 20, of Holdenby Drive, Raunds, remains unchanged. Novas, who was 18 and had just started her career as a prison officer, initiated an improper relationship with Winkless in November 2024. She smuggled cannabis, tobacco, and two mobile phones into HMP Five Wells and HMP Peterborough, and provided Winkless with confidential prison information, including the identity of a prison informant.
Investigation Details
Detective Inspector Richard Cornell, from the East Midlands Regional Prisons Intelligence Unit, stated: "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."
Officers confirmed the offences occurred between August 1, 2024, and March 21, 2025. The investigation, conducted by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, revealed that Novas was arrested in December 2024 after a mobile phone was found during a search of Winkless's cell. Despite being released on bail, contact between the pair continued.
