A Ghanaian-born, UK-based senior prison officer has been handed a 12-month suspended sentence by the Snaresbrook Crown Court after being found guilty of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a prison inmate.
Tracy Boateng, a 27-year-old UK citizen, was arrested after body camera footage and phone records revealed she was engaged in an illicit and romantic relationship with an inmate, Vincent Ojo, 34, who had been convicted of drug trafficking at the HMP Pentonville.
Released footage shows Tracy Boateng kissing inmate Vincent Ojo in her office at HMP Pentonville in North London.
She was also seen breaching security protocols by sneaking Ojo into her office and disclosing restricted operational information, including staff allocations.
Additionally, she allowed the inmate to view her computer screen, an act deemed strictly prohibited and highly unprofessional.
According to Boateng’s legal counsel, she requested that Vincent Ojo be transferred to a different wing after she reportedly felt threatened by him.
This came after she discovered Ojo in possession of a prohibited mobile phone in his cell, during which he allegedly told her he knew where she lived.
Boateng pleaded guilty to “wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder by engaging in an inappropriate relationship with Vincent OJO,” UK media reports added.
Although the presiding judge emphasised the gravity and seriousness of Tracy Boateng’s offense, she took into account Boateng’s personal circumstances specifically, her baby and the lack of an available carer following her separation from the child’s father. As a result, the court imposed a 12-month suspended sentence.
Boateng is reported to have earned a master’s degree in criminology after joining the prison service. She advanced to the position of senior prison officer with four years of experience and also completed counter-corruption training.
Watch videos of Boateng and Ojo below;
@theshadeboroughA senior prison officer, Tracy Boateng, has been handed a 12-month suspended sentence after shocking bodycam footage revealed her getting way too close to inmate Vincent O’Shaug a convicted heroin dealer. From laughing and kissing to snapping selfies at HMP Pentonville, this story has left viewers speechless.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
