A female guard who had a relationship with a male inmate has been sentenced to prison.

30-year-old Linda De Sousa Abreu, who served at Wandsworth Prison in England, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for unethical conduct.

In the case heard at Isleworth Crown Court, De Sousa Abreu admitted to the charge of misconduct in public office. The court ruled that half of the sentence would be served in prison, while the remaining part would be completed on probation.

Judge Martin Edmunds stated while announcing the decision, "This incident will tarnish the reputation of the prison system and negatively affect recruitment. It also causes concern among the inmates' families."

Prison Director Andrew Davy, while describing the damage the incident caused to the institution, said, "It took years for female staff to be accepted professionally in male prisons. This incident has undermined years of efforts."

Defendant De Sousa Abreu was caught at Heathrow Airport while trying to flee to Madrid after the incident. Defense attorney Rajiv Menon stated that his client has serious psychological issues and is receiving treatment.

The incident has sparked new discussions regarding professional ethics and staff oversight in the British prison system. Authorities announced that monitoring mechanisms would be strengthened to prevent similar incidents from occurring.