Prison Officer Jailed Over Intimate Relationship With Convict in Prison Prayer Room

 A former prison officer has been sentenced to three and a half years in jail after engaging in inappropriate relationships with two inmates and conspiring to smuggle drug-soaked envelopes into a Kent prison.

Isabelle Dale, 23, formed romantic relationships with prisoners Shahid Sharif and Connor Money while employed at HMP Coldingley in Surrey. During sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Christopher Hehir said Dale had professed love to both men simultaneously, telling each she wanted a future with them outside prison. He criticised her for using personal vulnerabilities “as both a shield and an excuse” for deliberate misconduct.

Dale was convicted of two counts of misconduct in public office, spanning September 2021 to December 2022, and one count of conspiracy to convey a prohibited List A article into prison. Sharif, now held at HMP Wandsworth, and co-conspirator Lilea Sallis were also jailed for their roles in the smuggling operation.

The court heard that Dale and Sharif became engaged within months of her starting work at Coldingley. Prosecutors presented evidence of an intimate relationship, including messages described by the judge as demonstrating a “clearly sexual” connection. While allegations of sexual contact in the prison chapel could not be conclusively proven, Judge Hehir noted that Dale’s colleagues were aware that boundaries had been breached.

Sharif was serving a sentence of 12 years and 10 months for a violent armed robbery at a jewellery store on England’s south coast. A search of Dale’s home uncovered an edited photograph of the couple with a heart symbol and a date believed to mark their engagement.

In his remarks, Judge Hehir described Dale as “devious, manipulative and untruthful,” adding that he suspected she had joined the prison service with the intention of becoming involved in criminal activity. He said she knowingly exposed herself and others to serious risks in pursuit of validation through relationships with inmates.

The court also heard that Dale shared sensitive internal information with Connor Money during a separate relationship, including reassuring him during a cell search rather than reporting concerns to authorities.

The smuggling plot involved envelopes soaked in synthetic drugs being sent into HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey. When a postal strike disrupted the plan, Dale was expected to travel to Brighton to collect the envelopes from Sallis. However, the scheme collapsed following a dispute between Sharif and Sallis.

Despite defence arguments citing Dale’s mental health struggles—including depression, anxiety, PTSD and emotionally unstable personality disorder—the judge ruled these factors did not excuse her actions.

Sallis, 28, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, while Sharif received 27 months after admitting the conspiracy charge. Dale has since resigned from the prison service.