A woman working as a prison officer has been sentenced to jail for engaging in a sexual act with an inmate while being recorded on her own body-worn camera.
Rebecca Pinckard, aged 46, had the intimate encounter with Erion Nakdi, aged 42, who is a serving prisoner at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk, as revealed in Cambridge Crown Court. Pinckard, a mother from Cambridgeshire, had previously sent a card to Nakdi, an Albanian national serving a 16-year sentence for drug-related offenses. She pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and received a 32-week jail term on Friday.
During the court proceedings, Gavin Burrell, the prosecutor, disclosed that Pinckard was caught on video engaging in a sexual act with Nakdi in two clips recorded five minutes apart on July 5, 2024. These clips were discovered by another officer reviewing footage from body-worn cameras for evidence. Judge Anthony Cartin emphasized that Pinckard’s misconduct was only uncovered due to an inadvertent error, stating, “An officer reviewing the footage found incriminating evidence from your camera.”
Judge Cartin further highlighted that the offense was not an isolated incident and had persisted over several months, including the sending of a card. Pinckard was condemned for undermining public confidence in the legal system through her actions.
The court also learned that Pinckard had shared sexual videos of Nakdi in his prison cell via her mobile phone, with the videos being sent through social media messaging. It was noted that Pinckard failed to report this to the authorities upon receiving the videos.
Nakdi, appearing in court via a prison video link, admitted to possessing a mobile phone in prison without authorization between July 2 and July 6, 2024. He received an additional 10-month sentence on top of his existing 16-year and three-month term for drug conspiracy, sentenced at Luton Crown Court in 2022.
In defense of Nakdi, Rory Keene described the unauthorized device as a “pool phone” and characterized the Moonpig card as a gesture of affection.
Pinckard’s representative, Juliet Donovan, described the incident as a momentary lapse in judgment rather than a relationship, citing Pinckard’s challenging personal life circumstances at the time. Donovan clarified that Pinckard did not engage in repeated communication with Nakdi via mobile phone.
The court was informed that Pinckard had received a warning in October 2023 for being overly familiar with prisoners but had innocently attempted to improve their lives by giving them treats. Pinckard displayed emotions during the sentencing and was visibly upset as she was escorted to the cells.
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