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A former prison officer has been sentenced to prison after engaging in illicit relationships with two inmates and conspiring to smuggle drug-laced envelopes into a correctional facility. Isabelle Dale, who worked at HMP Coldingley in Surrey, professed her “undying love” for prisoners Shahid Sharif and Connor Money, according to court statements. Evidence presented at trial revealed that Dale had a sexual encounter with Sharif within the prison chapel and later became engaged to him. Subsequently, she collaborated with Sharif and an associate, Lilea Sallis, in a scheme to introduce spice, a synthetic cannabinoid, into HMP Swaleside located in Kent.
Dale received a sentence of three and a half years on charges including two counts of misconduct in public office and one count of conspiracy to introduce a banned item into prison. Sharif, already incarcerated, and Sallis were also sentenced to 27 months and two and a half years respectively for their roles in the conspiracy. During sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Christopher Hehir described Dale as “thoroughly devious and untruthful and manipulative,” noting that although she had certain vulnerabilities, she used these as excuses to justify her actions. The judge expressed suspicion that Dale may have joined the prison service intending to engage in criminal activity with inmates, stating bluntly, “She wanted to do it. She’s attention seeking.”
Dale, who hails from Portsmouth, began her employment at HMP Coldingley in September 2021, which was her sole posting. The court heard that she had established contact with Sharif by January the following year and was engaged to him by May. Dale’s defense counsel, Syam Soni, attributed her criminal behavior to underlying mental health challenges including depression, anxiety, emotionally unstable personality disorder, and PTSD, arguing that she was ill-prepared for the demands of working in a prison environment and was more vulnerable than her colleagues. Sharif, at the time, was serving a lengthy sentence of over 12 years for a violent robbery targeting a jeweler, Judge Hehir noted, adding that other prison officers had apparently noticed suspicious behavior.
Following the incident in the chapel, Sharif was transferred to Swaleside prison, and Dale took sick leave on reduced pay while continuing to maintain contact. She visited Sharif multiple times between September and October 2022, sometimes accompanied by his family members, and managed to become one of his approved visitors by hiding her occupation. The judge emphasized her deepening corruption when she attempted to persuade Sharif’s sister to smuggle a USB device into the prison, an effort that was declined. Dale also bore a tattoo of Sharif’s street name on her neck and resigned from her job prior to being arrested on her sixth visit. Additionally, the court was informed that she had passed confidential information to Connor Money, with whom she also had an intimate relationship. A planned operation to smuggle spice into Swaleside was thwarted partly due to a postal strike and internal conflicts between Sharif and Sallis, the latter of whom withdrew involvement over disputes related to pricing and social media posts. Sharif had boasted in messages about the potential to earn thousands each week by selling spice inside the prison, though the judge suggested these claims might be exaggerated
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