A former prison officer who entered into a romantic engagement with an inmate has been jailed for three years and six months following a corruption investigation into drug smuggling and misconduct in public office.
Isabelle Dale, 23, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court alongside two co-conspirators after a joint operation by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) and HM Prisons and Probation Service’s Counter Corruption Unit.
The court heard that while serving as an officer at HMP Coldingley, Dale formed inappropriate sexual relationships with two male prisoners. One of these men, 34-year-old Shahid Sharif, was serving a sentence for robbery. Within just eight months of Dale joining the prison service, the pair had become engaged. The relationship continued even after Sharif was transferred to HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey, where Dale continued to visit him and provide financial support through the prison system.
Beyond the misconduct, investigators uncovered a criminal conspiracy spanning from September 2021 to December 2022. Dale, Sharif, and a third individual, 28-year-old Lilea Sallis, worked together to smuggle “Spice”—a synthetic cannabinoid classified as a List A prohibited article—into HMP Swaleside. Dale resigned from her position shortly after her arrest in November 2022. For their roles in the conspiracy, Sharif was sentenced to two years and three months’ imprisonment, while Sallis received a sentence of two years and six months.
DCI Ryan James, Head of SEROCU’s Prison Intelligence Team, emphasized that Dale’s actions represented a “serious breach” of the significant trust placed in prison officers. He noted that the introduction of substances like Spice fuels violence and instability within the prison system, compromising the safety of both staff and inmates. DCI James added that the case serves as a clear warning that corruption within the prison service will be uncovered and prosecuted.