Leonie Wilkinson was much closer to serving prisoner Gary Hampson than she admitted
Probation officer Leonie Wilkinson, 27 and of Burholme Road, Preston, was handed a suspended sentence for not declaring her relationship with a serving criminal(Image: NWROCU)
A probation officer spoke to her criminal boyfriend on Snapchat and sent him a card while working in the same prison that he was jailed in. Leonie Wilkinson, 27, told her line manager that she knew prisoner Gary Hampson and one of his relatives, although she failed to formally submit a conflict of interest and intelligence report.
The truth, however, was Wilkinson and career criminal Hampson, 26, had been in a relationship for a number of years, with phone analysis confirming the pair had been in frequent contact. Wilkinson appeared before Preston Crown Court today, Friday, where she received a suspended prison sentence.
Wilkinson had begun her role at HMP Preston in September 2020, having previously worked in an administrative capacity for a parole service company contracted to the Prison Service.
Her responsibilities included risk assessments for magistrates and crown court cases. At the time of applying for her probation officer role, Wilkinson failed to disclose any conflicts of interest.
Wilkinson was tasked with engaging prisoners during their first five days and again in the final 12 weeks before release in her work as a probation officer. She provided prisoners with providing support around housing, finances, and employment, as well as liaising with community-based probation teams.
Due to the pandemic, Wilkinson’s vetting was delayed until December 14 2020, after which she attended a mandatory induction covering health and safety, safer custody and corruption awareness, including the requirement to declare any conflicts of interest.
Wilkinson worked remotely from January to April 2021 and was issued a secure laptop and work phone. She had previously completed training on data protection and the Computer Misuse Act.
The court heard that in April 2021, Wilkinson disclosed to her line manager that she knew Hampson and one of his family members, citing a family connection. She claimed to have submitted a conflict of interest and intelligence report, but records show she only declared a separate connection to another prisoner.
However, no formal disclosure was made regarding Hampson and his relative. In May 2021, intelligence reports surfaced alleging a corrupt probation officer was smuggling contraband into HMP Preston.
Subsequent investigations revealed Wilkinson was in a relationship with Hampson, a continuation of a prior relationship. She had visited him in prison in January 2018 and was previously listed as a friend of two other inmates.A search of Hampson’s cell led to the seizure of a mobile phone on June 27 2021. Analysis confirmed communications between Wilkinson and Hampson.
A full staff search was conducted on 6 July 2021, and further evidence, including a card sent by Wilkinson, directly linking her to the prisoner. Phone analysis confirmed Wilkinson had communicated with Hampson via calls, emails, and social media, including Snapchat.
Wilkinson, of Burholme Road, Preston, was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 120 hours of community service for misconduct in a public office, unauthorised access to a computer and encouraging the possession of a mobile device.Hampson was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment to run consecutively with his existing sentence after pleading guilty to encouraging misconduct in a public office and possessing an unauthorised mobile phone in prison.Detective inspector Brian Morley, from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit’s prison investigation unit, said: “Wilkinson’s actions represented a serious breach of trust and undermined the integrity of the criminal justice system.
“Her deliberate failure to disclose relationships and her continued contact with prisoners posed a significant risk to prison security.
“Wilkinson has now been held accountable for her actions, and we remain committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and safeguarding within the prison system.”