A third female prison officer at the UK’s largest super-prison, HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire, has been jailed for misconduct after admitting to inappropriate relationships with inmates.

 

Aimee Duke, 26, was sentenced to one year in prison at Northampton Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of misconduct in public office.

 

Investigators revealed that Duke exchanged 248 calls and messages with one inmate over a two-month period and 254 with another, in addition to being caught on CCTV emerging from a one-person cell with prisoners.

 

She was arrested in September 2022, just months after the £253 million super-prison opened. Duke reportedly sobbed throughout the proceedings as the court delivered her sentence.

 

This latest case follows two similar incidents at the prison:

 

Toni Cole, 29, was jailed for 12 months in February for trysts with an inmate.

 

Rachel Stanton, 31, narrowly avoided prison in July after admitting to a relationship with an armed robber.

 

 

The series of convictions has sparked concern over staff misconduct, weak boundaries, and systemic challenges in maintaining security within the new-generation facility.

 

With three female officers already convicted of improper relationships at HMP Five Wells in less than three years of operation, the prison faces mounting scrutiny over its recruitment, staff training, and supervision protocols.