A former prison officer has been jailed after engaging in illicit relationships with two inmates and conspiring to smuggle drug-soaked envelopes into a Kent jail.
Isabelle Dale, 23, became romantically involved with prisoners Shahid Sharif and Connor Money while working at HMP Coldingley in Surrey. Judge Christopher Hehir said Dale had been “swearing them undying love, saying she wanted to be with both of them on the outside,” and accused her of using her vulnerabilities as “a shield and an excuse” for her actions.
Dale was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to three and a half years in prison for two counts of misconduct in a public office between September 2021 and December 2022, and one count of conspiring to convey a List A article into prison. Sharif, currently held at HMP Wandsworth, and co-conspirator Lilea Sallis were also jailed for the smuggling plot.
The court heard Dale and Sharif became engaged within months of her starting work at Coldingley. Prosecutors said the pair had an intimate relationship and that s3xual contact took place in the prison chapel area, though the judge said he could not make findings on that specific allegation. Messages showed a “clearly s3xual relationship,” he added, and colleagues had “obviously clocked on to what was going on.”
Sharif was serving a 12-year and 10-month sentence for an “extremely violent robbery of a jewellers on the south coast.” A search of Dale’s home uncovered a picture of the couple “spliced together” with a white heart and a date believed to mark their engagement.
Judge Hehir told Dale: “I have concluded that unfortunately you are a thoroughly devious and untruthful and manipulative young woman… I suspect you actually joined the prison service with a view to becoming involved in criminal activities with prisoners.” He said she sought validation through relationships with inmates despite being fully aware of “the risks and dangers relating to corruption.”
Dale also passed sensitive information to Money during a separate intimate relationship. When Money expressed concern about losing a mobile phone in a cell search, the judge noted that Dale responded: “don’t worry, security aren’t too hot on you,” rather than reporting him.
The smuggling plot involved envelopes dipped in spice being sent into HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey. A postal strike forced a change of plan, with Dale expected to travel to Brighton to collect the envelopes from Sallis. The judge said Sallis pulled out due to a dispute with Sharif over prices and social media posts. “I don’t think she had a fit of conscience… but I think that’s why her enthusiasm cooled,” he remarked.
Dale’s barrister said her actions were influenced by mental health difficulties, including depression, anxiety, emotionally unstable personality disorder and PTSD, and argued she was “ill-equipped” for the prison environment. The judge rejected the suggestion that this excused her conduct.
Sallis, 28, was sentenced to two and a half years, while Sharif, who admitted the conspiracy charge, received 27 months. Dale has since resigned from the prison service.