Investigations into sexual harassment in prison soars four-fold as female inmate warns abuse is ‘rife'

Independent

6 days ago

The number of prison staff being investigated for sexual assault or harassment has surged almost 400 per cent, as a former female inmate reveals she was forced to complain about a 'creepy' male officer.
A total of 237 prison staff in England and Wales faced allegations of sexual harassment or assault between January 2022 and March 2024, according to Ministry of Justice figures obtained by Channel 4. Only 63 of these were recommended for dismissal.
This is compared to 49 investigations in a similar period ten years ago.
Beatrice Auty, who was jailed for money laundering, fears sexual harassment is 'rife' inside prisons and called for better investigations into wrongdoing.
The 28-year-old struggled with a male officer who made 'advances' and commented on her appearance when she was being held inside Britain's biggest women's prison, HMP Bronzefield in Surrey.
Despite making a complaint, he was allowed to continue working on her wing while under investigation, she said.
She alleges the man – who was in his 40s - was 'renowned' for having inappropriate relationships with female prisoners at the jail, which is operated by private contractor Sodexo.
'You just have to mention his name and people just shudder,' Ms Auty told The Independent. 'The officer I approached to complain called him a creep.
'And even when I put in a complaint it took about four or five months to get a response which wasn't even dated and it just said the matter has been dealt with and we are satisfied that's all we need to do.'
She said she would notice him spending time inside another woman's cell with the door closed, adding: 'I didn't think anything of it until he made comments about me saying he wanted to come in my cell and making comments about my appearance.'
She continued: 'He started by just making comments about the way I look and making advances. He would come and see me all the time even when there was nothing happening with my case.
'It was getting to the point where he was suggesting he wanted to meet on the outside.'
She believes the officer, who had a lot of influence over her sentence progression, became 'hostile' when she did not reciprocate.
The day after she submitted a formal complaint about his behaviour, she was transferred to a different prison.
Since leaving Bronzefield she has spoken to other women who claim they were bought clothes by the same officer.
Ms Auty, who is now studying criminology and is a member of the Prison Reform Trust's advisory board, wants more transparency and says complaints should be independently investigated.
She alleged it was common knowledge among inmates that staff were simply moved to another block if they had inappropriate relationships with prisoners, adding it is a 'clear abuse of power' as many female prisoners are vulnerable and have experienced sexual abuse on the outside.
'If this was a job if you went to HR about harassment, you would hope that someone would deal with it properly and investigated but in prisons it just seems that this behaviour is acceptable because they can do what they like because who cares about prisoners,' she added.
'But it is definitely wrong in my mind, the worst of the worst because there's so many vulnerable people in there that don't know that it's wrong.
'You are completely powerless in there. You feel like things you wouldn't tolerate on the outside, you feel like you just tolerate them because you can't do anything about it.'
Ms Auty, who was sentenced to 42 months in 2023 for smuggling millions in cash from London to Dubai, is sharing her experience in a new Channel 4 documentary UK Prisons Exposed - Sex, Drugs & Corruption: UNTOLD, streaming from Wednesday 25 June.
The documentary, presented by former prisoner David Navarro, uncovered the surge in complaints of sexual harassment and abuse via Freedom of Information request.
It comes after The Independent last month revealed the number of prison officers investigated for inappropriate relationships with inmates has almost tripled in five years.
Figures from prisons in England and Wales show a surge in staff investigated for corruption, with those probed for relationships with prisoners up from 51 in 2020 to 144 last year.
Only 30 of the prison officers probed for inappropriate relationships in 2024 faced sanctions classed as 'management or above outcomes', which include criminal charges, dismissal, transfers, formal warnings or regradings.
It follows a series of high profile convictions, including former governor of HMP Kirkham, Kerri Pegg, who was jailed for nine years for having a relationship with a male prisoner.
In January, Linda De Sousa Abreu was jailed for 15 months after she was filmed having sex with an inmate inside HMP Wandsworth just five months after she was recruited to the prison service.
A Prison Service spokesperson said:"While the vast majority of prison staff are honest, we are catching more of the small minority who break the rules through our Counter-Corruption Unit and stronger vetting."We take all allegations of harassment or discrimination extremely seriously, and do not hesitate to take immediate action where allegations are substantiated."
An HMP Bronzefield spokesperson said: 'Whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, we do want to make clear that we are fully committed to ensuring a safe and secure environment for both prisoners and staff.
'Complaints from prisoners are taken seriously, thoroughly investigated, and followed by appropriate action where necessary.'
A Prison Service spokesperson added: 'While the vast majority of most prison staff are honest, we are catching more of the small minority who break the rules through our Counter-Corruption Unit and stronger vetting.
'Where officers fall below our high standards, we do not hesitate to take robust action.'