Prison officer jailed after inappropriate act with inmate was captured on her body camera
A 46-year-old prison officer, Rebecca Pinckard, has been sentenced to 32 weeks in prison after being caught engaging in inappropriate conduct with an inmate at HMP Highpoint, a Category C prison in Stradishall, Suffolk, United Kingdom.
Pinckard, who is from Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office. The offence came to light in July 2024 after footage retrieved from her own body-worn camera showed her and an inmate, Erion Nakdi (42), together inside a prison store cupboard.
According to proceedings at Cambridge Crown Court, the footage was discovered during routine checks by another prison officer.
Prosecutors informed the court that the inappropriate conduct occurred over a period of several months, from April 9 to July 6, 2024, rather than being a single incident.
In addition to the incident captured on camera, the court heard that Pinckard had sent a Moonpig greeting card to Nakdi to “cheer him up” during personal difficulties.
She also failed to report allegedly explicit social media videos sent to her by the inmate from inside the prison, despite regulations requiring such conduct to be disclosed.
The court was further told that Pinckard had previously been warned for being overfamiliar with inmates, including giving out cakes and sweets, behaviour considered a breach of professional boundaries.
Sentencing her on Friday, January 16, Judge Cartin said Pinckard had been exposed due to a “clumsy mistake” while evidence was being reviewed, but stressed that the misconduct was not a one-off incident.
“This behaviour diminishes public confidence in the criminal justice system,” the judge said.
Pinckard’s defence described the incident as a “moment of madness” rather than a relationship, citing emotional difficulties following the breakdown of a long-term relationship.
Nakdi, who admitted possessing a mobile phone in prison, received an additional 10-month sentence to be served on top of his existing term. He was previously jailed for over 16 years in 2022 for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
HMP Highpoint is one of the largest prisons in England, housing around 1,300 inmates.
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