Alicia Novas was caughtOliver Radcliffe Live News Reporter, Kelly Williams Chief reporter/Content editor and Kelly Williams
14:16, 26 Jan 2026Updated 14:16, 26 Jan 2026
Former HMP Five Wells officer Alicia Novas and serving prisoner Declan Winkless have both been jailed today.(Image: Northamptonshire Police/ Leicestershire Police)
A former prison officer who had sex with a prisoner and smuggled cannabis and two mobile phones into the facility for him has now found herself in jail.
Appearing at Northampton Crown Court, Judge Rebecca Crane disclosed that two videos of Alicia Novas, now 20, “having sexual intercourse in her prison uniform” taken by her jailed partner had been spread across Snapchat and “ended up in the press”.
Declan Winkless, aged 31, was sentenced to an additional three years and four months imprisonment for his involvement in the offences, to be served consecutively with his current sentence. Meanwhile, Novas received a three-year sentence.
During the sentencing, Judge Crane detailed that Novas had been employed as a prison officer at HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough.
She revealed that Novas, from Raunds, Northamptonshire, gave her personal mobile number to Winkless, who is presently serving a sentence of 11 years and three months for conspiracy to commit burglary, reports the Daily Star.
Alicia Novas was a prison officer working at HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough (file)(Image: Northamptonshire Telegraph/ SWNS)
The court was informed that nearly 3,000 texts and messages were shared between the pair with Winkless making use of four smuggled in devices.
Both defendants pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to multiple charges, including Novas admitting to misconduct in a public office between August 1 2024 and December 24, 2024, and Winkless acknowledging his role in “encouraging and assisting” Novas in this misconduct.
The offences included Novas revealing information about a prison informant and whether Winkless was under scrutiny by prison officials. The judge highlighted that the messages showed “demonstrates Winkless indicating he was romantically interested in Ms Novas, offering expensive gifts”.
She observed that “by November 16 the relationship became sexual including sexual intercourse”.
HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough(Image: PA)
On 23rd November 2024, the judge recounted, Winkless asked Novas “who the snitch was” and Novas disclosed the name of an inmate and informed Winkless about what the prison authorities knew or suspected regarding his involvement.
“This put the informant at very considerable risk to his personal safety,” the judge pronounced.
“It also undermined any prison investigation.”
She characterised Novas as “naive and immature”.
“Given your age and inexperience you were vulnerable to being manipulated,” the judge addressed her.
Alicia Novas was jailed(Image: Northants Police / IMG)
“However, you could easily have reported matters to the prison authorities and sought assistance.
“You persisted in having contact over a significant period even after your arrest.
“You failed to consider the seriousness of your actions and the potential impact on the security and the safety of staff and prisoners and how it undermined the work of the prison.”
She emphasised that “even an inexperienced and naive prison officer would know that prisoners who are suspected of being informants are often victims of very serious violence”.
“Therefore, providing the name of such a person to Winkless was extremely serious,” she concluded.
Liam Muir, representing Novas, highlighted that his client was just 18 when the offences took place and was living with an undiagnosed emotionally unstable personality disorder at the time.
The judge noted that Winkless had expressed regret for what he had done.
Declan Winkless had a further three years onto his sentence(Image: Leicestershire Police)
Both appeared via prison videolink from HMP Peterborough during Monday’s sentencing hearing.
Novas had previously admitted to two counts of misconduct in a public office at an earlier hearing, with Winkless confessing to encouraging and assisting these offences.
They both confessed to two counts of unauthorised transmission of image or sound by electronic communication from within a prison, covering periods before and after Novas was arrested – from August 1 to December 24, 2024, and from December 23 2024 to March 21, 2025.
They both pleaded guilty to two counts of conveying an article into or out of a prison, relating to the cannabis and the two mobiles.
Winkless also confessed to unauthorised possession of a Motorola phone that was discovered in his cell during a search on December 22, 2024.
The judge referenced a statement from a prison manager, emphasising how such offences “damages public trust and undermines prison security”.