PRISON OFFICER JAILED FOR RELATIONSHIP WITH CONVICTED MURDERER

Rebecca Green, a prison officer aged 29, has been sentenced to one year and four months in prison for misconduct in a public office. Green worked at HMP Whitemoor and began a relationship with inmate John Otugade in October 2022. Otugade is serving a life sentence for murder. Green pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on 24 June.

Suspicions emerged in spring 2023, prompting an investigation into the relationship. Otugade was moved to HMP Belmarsh during this inquiry. Investigators seized Green's mobile phone and discovered messages that confirmed the relationship between the pair. Additional evidence showed that a phone number matching Green's had been added to Otugade's approved prison contacts list under the name "partner". Green is from Holbeach, Lincolnshire.

Police stated that the case represented a serious breach of Green's professional responsibilities. The sentence was delivered following her guilty plea to the misconduct charge at Cambridge Crown Court.