Prison officer at scandal-hit jail suspended over ‘inappropriate inmate fling’
Katerina Tatus, 23, is accused of having an affair with an inmate and was ‘marched to the gates’ of her prison after it was exposed during and anti-corruption investigation
A female prison officer at a scandal-hit jail has been suspended over claims of a fling with an inmate, according to reports.
Katerina Tatus, 23, was said to have been “marched to the gates” of HMP Feltham after the alleged affair was uncovered by an anti-corruption unit.
Tatus, who is believed to have worked in the prison service for around three years, is reported to have been suspended after a staff member submitted an intelligence report. And police are now reportedly investigating claims of an inappropriate relationship between the guard and the lag.
A source told the Sun: “Katerina was stopped and marched to the gates by security. She has been accused of having an affair and being too close to a prisoner.
“It is unclear if it was a Feltham inmate or if something happened with someone at another jail. It was even suggested a mobile number of hers had been used by a prisoner.”
Her suspension has “sent shockwaves around the jail”, the source is quoted as saying.
They added: “Katerina is a pretty girl and was popular with staff and inmates. If she has done what she is accused of, though, she has ruined her career.
“But if Katerina has been misbehaving, she is not the only one in Feltham. There have been other claims of affairs and lots of find of material like phones and vapes which they fear have been smuggle in by staff.”
Bosses at the prison, in west London, are said to be “really worried about misconduct and corruption” after high profile scandals in recent months.
It operates as a prison for inmates aged 18 to 30 and a separate young offenders’ institution for under-18s. Tatus worked in the adult prison.
A report last year found Feltham A – the young offenders institution – had the highest levels of violence of any prison in Britain.
And it was reported in January that a teen being held Feltham for plotting a terror attack had stabbed several prison officers while he was banged up.
On her Facebook page, which has now been deactivated, Tatus posed pictures of herself holidaying and partying with pals. Under one snap, a follower wrote: “Prettiest one in Feltham.”
It comes after a record number of female prison officers have been fired for romps with male lags in recent years. A total of 29 got the boot from 2020 to 2022, compared with nine between 2017 and 2019.
Linda de Sousa Abreu, 30, was jailed for 15 months in January after being filmed having sex in a cell with burglar Linton Weirich in HMP Wandsworth.
Jessica McCleary, 29, was given a suspended sentence over a romance with inmate Levi Weekes at HMP Berwyn, north Wales.
Tatus was reported as denying the suspension, telling the Sun: “I didn’t do anything, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “It would be inappropriate to comment on a live Police investigation.”
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