Ex-Prison Officer and Inmate Jailed Over Smuggling Scam
A 20-year-old former prison officer and a 31-year-old inmate have been locked up for a total of over six years after running a brazen smuggling racket behind bars.
Serious Sentences at Northampton Crown Court
Alicia Novas, from Raunds, and Leicester inmate Declan Winkless pleaded guilty to multiple offences including misconduct in public office and smuggling banned items into prison. They were sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on Monday, January 26.
- Novas, aged 20, received a three-year sentence for:
- Two counts of misconduct in public office
- Two offences of unlawfully transmitting images or sounds from prison
- Two counts of smuggling prohibited List ‘A’ items in and out of prison
- Winkless, already serving 11 years for aggravated burglary, was handed an extra three years and four months. His charges include:
- Two counts of misconduct in public office
- Two offences of illicitly transmitting images or sounds from prison
- Two counts of smuggling banned List ‘A’ items
- One count of possessing a prohibited item inside prison
How the Prison Plot Was Exposed
The scam went on between August 2024 and March 2025 at HMP Five Wells, Wellingborough, and HMP Peterborough. The operation fell apart when a December 22, 2024, cell search uncovered a mobile phone on Winkless.
Secret messages between Winkless and Novas revealed their ongoing illegal contact. Despite being arrested and banned from contacting Winkless, Novas exchanged around 400 messages with him while out on bail.
Investigators from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit discovered the pair had swapped a staggering 2,800 messages before Novas’s arrest. They also found she smuggled cannabis, tobacco, and two mobile phones into the prison for Winkless.
Justice Sends a Clear Message
The case sends a stark warning to prison staff and inmates: corruption will not be tolerated, and anyone caught will face tough jail sentences.
