‘Miss Sneaky’ prison officer jailed for having sex with inmates

A prison officer who had sex with a convicted lover in a prison prayer room has herself been jailed.

Isabel Dale, 23, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison after having sex with 33-year-old Shahid Sharif in a place of worship at HMP Coldingley in Surrey.

The prison officer appeared four minutes later with the convicted robber, hastily adjusting his belt.

She had Sharif’s nickname “Sneaks” tattooed on the back of her neck, called herself “Miss Sneaky” by hanging a framed picture of them together over their bed.

A judge at Southwark Crown Court said he believed Dale joined the prison service so he could engage in illegal activities with prisoners.

Dale had been having sex with Sharif with a second inmate, 28-year-old Connor Money.

Sharif was transferred to HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent after the prayer room session.

The romance continued and Dale bought her own £3,000 engagement ring after she wrote a love letter to Sharif, outwardly expressing their dreams for life.

Some of those letters were laced with synthetic cannabis, or “spice.”

Dale also operated Sharif’s drug-dealing Snapchat account through accomplice Leila Salis, 27.

The prison officer told the court that she felt “privileged” with Sharif in her life but denied having sex with him or smuggling drugs in prison.

Dale was convicted by a jury at Southwark Crown Court of misconduct in public office and conspiracy to deliver a “Schedule A” banned article to prison.

Sharif had earlier admitted conspiring with two women and unknown others to supply drugs to the jail. He was sentenced to another 27 months in prison.

Salis was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to deliver a “Schedule A” prohibited article to prison. He was imprisoned for two and a half years.

Judge Hehir told Dale: “You understand very well what corruption is and the risks and dangers associated with it.

“Within a few months you began to engage in grossly corrupt and inappropriate behavior. You formed an illicit relationship with two inmates, Connor Money and Shahid Sharif.’

“Intimate relationships between prisoners and prison officers threaten the law and order of prisons. If some prisoners receive favorable treatment from prison officers with whom they have a relationship, that is unfair to the prisoners.

“I have come to the conclusion that unfortunately you are a completely corrupt, untruthful and manipulative young woman.

“I accept that you have some weaknesses, but it is clear from your evidence that you try to use them as a shield and excuse for your actions but they do not provide that.”

Dale was arrested on 1 November 2022 during Sharif’s last visit to Swaleside.

She joined the prison service on September 29, 2021 but told the court she never fit in with her colleagues, who mocked her extensive tattoos.

Dale said she sought solace in the inmates’ affection. “I bought the ring after Mr Sharif instructed me to prove my loyalty to him,” she said. “He threatened to stab me. He hated me and said he wanted me to die.”

Shyam Soni, defending Dale, said her client suffered from depression and anxiety and was unfit to work in the prison service.

“It’s clear that by any measure she was incapable of performing that function,” she said.

Dale, of Portsmouth, was convicted of abuse in public office and conspiring to deliver a “Schedule A” prohibited article into prison.

Sallis, from East Sussex, was convicted of conspiring to deliver a “Schedule A” banned article into prison.

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