© Tom Blewitt & Zack Griffiths – HMP Prisons Justice Group
A prison officer has been jailed after admitting to having a relationship with a convicted murderer while working at a high-security prison.
Rebecca Green, 29, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to wilful misconduct in a public office. She had worked at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire, where she began a relationship with inmate John Otugade in October 2022.
Otugade is serving a 25-year sentence for murder. Concerns about Green’s conduct were raised in the spring of 2023, prompting an internal investigation. During the inquiry, Otugade was transferred to HMP Belmarsh.
Investigators searched Green’s car and examined her mobile phone, where they discovered messages indicating a romantic relationship with the prisoner. They also found that Green’s phone number had been added to Otugade’s approved prison contact list under the name “partner.”
Green, who is from Holbeach, Lincolnshire, later admitted the offence and appeared before Cambridge Crown Court, where she was sentenced to one year and four months in prison.
Detective Constable Tom Adams said Green had failed in her duty to protect the safety and security of both staff and prisoners. He added that her actions represented a serious breach of trust and undermined the integrity of the prison service.
HMP Prisons Justice Group 