Prison officer had 1,367 contacts with drug dealer inmate in secret relationship and took thousands from his family

Jahvine Kwamba, employed at HMP Fosse Way in Leicestershire, began a relationship with prisoner Roberts Sokolovs and made contact with him 1,367 times while he was at the category C prison between February 24 and June 3, 2024, Leicester Crown Court heard.

In 2022, Sokolovs was imprisoned for drug-related offenses due to his involvement in a county lines drug ring called the Jimmy Line, operating between Skelmersdale in Lancashire and Lincoln.

Kwamba, 21, from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, was arrested in July 2024 and previously pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in a public office.

At a sentencing hearing in Leicester on Friday, the prosecution counsel Rawaid Javed stated that sexually explicit photographs and messages were exchanged between the pair on Snapchat after Sokolovs was transferred to an immigration removal centre at Gatwick Airport in June 2024.

Since he was deported to Latvia in November that year, Sokolovs was never interviewed about his relationship with Kwamba.

While at HMP Fosse Way, there were 5,441 contacts between them on Snapchat, and 4,211 contacts while Sokolovs was at the removal centre.

Kwamba denies any physical sexual contact with Sokolovs, a claim the prosecution is “sceptical” about, the court heard. 

Kwamba also received five payments from Sokolovs’s mother Zita Sokolova, 53, totaling £1,495 between March 18 and July 2, 2024, while 18 payments totaling £4,665 were sent to her in the same period by his 20-year-old sister Venera Sokolova.

Kwamba sent seven payments, totaling £660, to his sister between March 27 and July 1, 2024.

Mr. Javed said there were “no obvious patterns” to the transactions, and when Kwamba first received a £500 payment from Zita Sokolova in March 2024, she spent it on food and clothing and did not transfer it.

Defending Kwamba, Sam Ponniah explained that she had shown “significant levels of naivety and immaturity” and had been “well in over her head” when in charge of 64 prisoners despite being a prison officer for around four months.

He said: “She speaks about how she felt overwhelmed when she got this job, being away from home, in an unfamiliar area and living alone.

“She has genuine and substantiated remorse for her actions. It’s clear from her letter that she deeply regrets ruining a job she felt she was doing well at… she knows she has thrown that all away.”

Mr. Ponniah noted that Kwamba now works at a car rental company.

The hearing also revealed that Venera Sokolova contacted her brother 191 times while he was in prison, while his mother contacted him 33 times.

Sokolovs’s mother and sister, both from Skelmersdale, previously pleaded guilty to transmitting or causing the transmission of an image by electronic communications from inside HMP Fosse Way between February 24 and June 3, 2024.

In a voluntary police interview in November 2024, Zita Sokolova stated she would send her son money while he was in prison, was unsure when she found out Kwamba was a prison officer, and said her son informed her that Kwamba was going to “help him.”

During her interview the same day, Venera Sokolova mentioned she knew Kwamba as her brother’s girlfriend but did not know she was a prison officer and was asked by her brother to contact her.

Zita Sokolova received a four-month suspended prison sentence for one year and was ordered to pay £400 in costs.

Venera Sokolova received a 12-month community order with a requirement to attend 15 probation appointments.

Jonathan Dunne, defending the Sokolovas, explained that Zita Sokolova, a mother of six, came to the UK in 2006 and works in a cable-manufacturing factory.

Regarding Venera Sokolova, who joined her mother in the UK at the age of three, Mr. Dunne stated she had to leave her job as a dinner lady when she became pregnant with her young son.

Mr. Dunne said: “When women of good character are brought before courts, there is often a man involved. We know Roberts had access to a mobile phone in prison.

“They insist they did not realize (Kwamba) was a prison officer. They never met her; they only thought she was his girlfriend.

“In reality, (Roberts Sokolovs) is a county lines drug dealer, and the women were instructed to send money under a sense of loyalty or fear.”

Addressing all three defendants, Judge Timothy Spencer KC said: “This case undermines the heart of a functioning criminal justice system, including a functioning prison system, where those in charge can maintain discipline and order without it being continually compromised.

“You have all contributed differently to undermining that system of law and order, striking at the core of its maintenance in this country.”

Sentencing Kwamba, who covered her face while entering the court building to avoid reporters, the judge indicated she had exposed herself to the risk of blackmail and coercion.

He said: “You received thorough training emphasizing the importance of maintaining high standards, professional contact, and integrity, avoiding exposure from relationships with prisoners.

“You were aware that receiving any money, over £6,000, posed significant risks, and any transfer was entirely wrong.”

The judge suggested Kwamba was “pretty lonely and vulnerable,” adding: “You were easy prey for Roberts, who exploited you.”

“You were of good character, not just legally, but you were performing well in your job, and it’s a tragedy you have lost it all.

“Your life has been upended, it’s been on hold for two years, and your prospects, if not for this case, would have been promising.

“This has been looming over you for quite some time.”

Sending Kwamba, who attended court with a large black holdall, to the cells, Judge Spencer remarked to the Sokolovas: “If you ever had illusions about the seriousness of this case, those have been dispelled today.

“What you did was extremely serious. Facilitating illicit phone contact with a prisoner is fundamentally wrong.

“You must have known you were contributing to this, but you will both go home tonight.

“You couldn’t have come closer to joining (Kwamba) through that door.”

He added: “You, Zita, are clearly older and should have known better.

“Venera, you were very young at the time; I believe you have matured significantly since your arrest, and I don’t want to impede your life opportunities.

“Consider this as a chance, both of you, don’t waste it and steer clear of the criminal justice system in the future.”