Prison officer, 23, who fell in love with lag tipped him off about cell search
A prison officer has been jailed for 16 months after falling into a love affair with an inmate - and tipping him off about a cell search.
Aisha Golsby, 23, became romantically involved with convict Deano Harrison while working at HMP Portland in Dorset. Harrison, a 21-year-old convicted for robbery and drug dealing, began messaging Golsby on Instagram with his contraband mobile phone - the beginning of a forbidden love story.
In their correspondence, Harrison told Golsby of how he has “never felt love for someone in such a small amount of time”, while Golsby told him she “trusted” him with her “whole f***ing heart”. Golsby hid the fact that Harrison had a mobile phone - but would continue to report other inmates.
She tipped him off that a team was searching cells to give him the chance to hide it. But when Harrison’s phone was finally found, the game was up. A search of the phone revealed the relationship between the pair, leading to Golsby’s arrest.
Golsby trusted her convict lover with her "whole heart" (BNPS)
Golsby leaving Poole Magistrates' Court during the case (BNPS)Golsby, from Weymouth, Dorset, was suspended from her job before resigning two months later. She pleaded guilty to three counts of misconduct in a public office and was jailed for 16 months at Bournemouth Crown Court after only a few years in the profession - having started working at HMP Portland in April 2020, aged 19.
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Kaj Scarsbrook, prosecuting, said: "The crown submit this was a romantic relationship between prisoner and prison officer. There was no physical or sexual contact on prison premises but the messages speak for themselves.
"She misconducted herself in three ways - firstly she engaged in a romantic relationship with a prisoner, Deano Harrison, over electronic communications, secondly she failed to report the fact she knew Mr Harrison held such a device capable of communications and thirdly she alerted him to the presence of a search team.
"One message from the prisoner to the defendant said 'I have not felt like this about anyone. I never thought it would get deep, I didn't think I would get attached to you. I've never felt love for someone in such a small amount of time'."
When officers searched Harrison’s phone, they found one message from Golsby from January 2022, when she began having concerns that they had been sussed out. She said: “I trusted you with my whole f***ing heart, I really hope what you are saying is true.” 11 phone calls were logged between January 23 and January 28 - the day the phone was found.
Even when Harrison had been moved to another prison she still attempted to contact Golsby, but her letters were intercepted by the prison. She went as far as trying to send him messages through Free Prints.
Golsby’s lawyer argued that she was a hardworking woman with no previous convictions, and attempted to persuade judge Jonathan Fuller to only give her a suspended sentence. She emphasised that Golsby had displayed clear remorse “at her own stupidity”. But Judge Fuller said prison service misconduct must be dealt with seriously, and concluded she had been “subverting the good order of the running of the prison”.
He said: "You underwent training courses which dealt with anti-corruption issues, you would have been fully aware of the duties and responsibilities placed on you as a prison officer, especially in respect of relationships with prisoners.
"You also had a clear understanding of the reasons for that training and the very damaging effect failure to follow those rules can have on the security of the prison state and the public trust in the prison service. You tipped him off that a designated search team were coming. That enabled him to try and hide the prohibited item, that was subverting the good order of the running of the prison."
Harrison had six months added to his sentence for possessing a banned item - the phone - after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
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