Prison officer Isabelle Dale has been found guilty of having two flings with inmates – and now a former criminal has opened up about his own illicit behind-bars romance
A former convict revealed a ‘secret’ fling he had with a female prison officer during his time behind bars – and claimed that these affairs are more common than most think.
But, he’s not the first to do so. His confession comes after former prison guard Isabelle Dale was found guilty of having an inappropriate relationship with a lag in the prison’s prayer room and having an affair with another.
Dale, 23, was caught in the actwith Shahid Sharif, 33, in the worship area at HMP Coldingley in Surrey, with two other inmates acting as lookouts. The prison officer was spotted coming out of the room alongside the convicted robber after roughly four minutes, hastily adjusting her belt.
Dale had Sharif’s nickname ‘Sneaks’ inked on the back of her neck, had a framed photo of them together above her bed and referred to herself as ‘Miss Sneaky’. She splashed out £3,000 on her own engagement ring and penned romantic letters to Sharif, detailing her dreams of their future life outside prison walls.
But, she was eventually ousted and dismissed after being found guilty of gross misconduct.
However, former lag Tony Gooch has a tale of his own.
Gooch, a former star of Channel 4‘s Banged Up series, revealed from personal experience that prison affairs can “easily” occur between inmates and officers.
Tony ended up spending nine years and six months in prison for violent offences including theft, burglary and assault. During his time behind bars, a then 25-year-old Tony embarked on a six-month affair with a female prison guard, who he claims was a married woman in her 30s.
Recalling his love affair, Tony confessed to the Mirror: “I got caught up in what they called an improper relationship with a female member of staff. It happens; it’s no different inside than on the outside.”
Tony and his secret lover were able to have quick romp sessions together, despite being aware of the dangers of being caught red-handed.
He added: “We would get a quick 10 minutes together. We squeezed it in when we could.”
Even though the guard was assigned to a different wing, the couple were ‘locked’ into each other. Their bond soon became apparent to fellow inmates and were rumbled when another prisoner dubbed the pair in to officers.
Gooch was later placed in solitary confinement for 16 weeks, which he described as “torture”. He claimed that the officer involved was dismissed.
He was subsequently transferred to HMP Wayland as a consequence.
But despite the risks he faced and how the couple were eventually caught, Gooch said he had no regrets for what happened. He added that even those who are banged up need some form of intimacy and connection.
Gooch said: “When you go through the prison system, everything in your life you hold dear is taken away. It’s extremely difficult to make the transition; if something you miss dearly is then offered to you on a plate, you’re more than likely to take it, you have to be a very strong-willed person not to.”
He added that prisoners are not even just wanting sex, but cuddling and kissing too. On top of this, he also explained the feeling of getting caught and the riskiness of it all can push people to keep going with their sordid affairs.
Tony finished by saying that as long men and women are around each other, something will end up happening “regardless”. He suggested the punishment could be worse for female staff, but the deterrent would never be effective.
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