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Mikel Arteta is in the doghouse with Arsenal fans and running out of time to show he has pedigree to end trophy drought

IT IS A WELL KNOWN fact that dogs learn through repetition.

Especially their names. Call it over and over again and soon your clever pooch will be your loyal pal performing tricks for treats.

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's manager, with arms crossed.
AFP
Mikel Arteta is under pressure to win another trophy with Arsenal[/caption]
Mikel Arteta holding the FA Cup trophy.
AP
Arteta won the FA Cup with Arsenal just months after taking over but is yet to secure any other titles[/caption]

So spare a thought for Arsenal’s poor pet chocolate labrador.

Boss Mikel Arteta came up with the idea of having man’s best friend live at the club’s training ground to give the place a family feel. And she was named ‘Win’.

That is not a word being heard quite as often as it should at London Colney today. At least not when it comes to getting over the line and winning a trophy.

A crushing home defeat to Newcastle in last night’s Carabao Cup semi final first leg leaves Arteta licking his wounds after blowing a great chance of silverware.

Win will be licking other bodily parts as per usual.

The concept of having a dog at a Premier League training ground is a positive one even if the choice of name is so North London and cringey.

And there is no doubt that Arteta has re-energised Arsenal in the five years since he took over as manager in December 2019.

But Tuesday’s inglorious stuffing feels like a barometer moment in the Spaniard’s time at the club. And the pressure is increasing.

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Mikel Arteta with Arsenal players and therapy dog.
Getty
Arteta introduced a dog named Win to the training ground two years ago[/caption]

As if to ram the message home in terms that Win would understand – Arsenal have let the lead slip five times this season – twice against Brighton but more importantly against their main rivals Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. Boom boom.

All of those games ended in draws, dropping vital points in the title race in the process.

Arteta won the FA Cup at the end of his first half season in charge – breathing life into a flatlining football giant in December 2019 when taking over from the uninspiring Unai Emery.

Victory in the 2020 FA Cup final over Chelsea should have been the trigger for more trophies to follow.

But since then there has been nothing tangible to celebrate. No open top bus parade through the London Borough of Islington where skipper Martin Odegaard can show off a shiny cup.

Since the FA Cup win four and a half years ago, even car-crash Manchester United have won something. And they are considered a laughing stock, now taking a punt on their third manager since Arteta took over the reins at the Emirates with a mission to make Arsenal great again.

Ironically, Manchester United beat Newcastle in the 2023 Carabao Cup Final.

The Geordies are renowned as serial chokers. Seven times losers in the FA Cup Final, twice in the League Cup, even throwing it away five times in the old Charity Shield. Without a major domestic trophy in 70 years.

Succumbing to the Toon at home in such a feeble way does not mean Arteta’s time is up. Far from it, even if social media tells a different story with the notoriously fickle Gooners jumping on their keyboards over their chai lattes to ensure ‘Arteta Out’ has been trending.

His 59.2 percent win rate is superior to that of his immediate predecessor Unai Emery and surprisingly better than that of Arsene Wenger – the man who laid the foundations for modern Arsenal.

The French legend won 57.3% of his 1235 games. But Arteta has had only 262 so far which makes it slightly easier to maintain a higher ratio of victories.

Wenger also had the Premier League in the bag in his second season – ripping the trophy from the best Manchester United team of all time led by the most successful British manager in history in Alex Ferguson.

Arteta has enjoyed three full seasons of goodwill as he attempts a similar assault on football’s Mount Everest, overhauling Manchester City’s imperious four-in-a-row champions.

Arsenal players leaving the pitch.
EPA
The Gunners suffered a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday[/caption]
Alexander Isak of Newcastle United celebrates scoring a goal.
Getty
Alexander Isak was a thorn in Arsenal’s side again[/caption]

That’s a big ask and the club and the fans have been patient up to now. It’s still too early to panic but there is a growing fear Arsenal have reached a ceiling unless bold moves are made.

Their arch-tormentor Alexander Isak, opening scorer against them last night, is a £150 million transfer target.

Former players like Paul Merson are demanding swift action by the board to sign the Swede and provide Arteta with the dedicated number nine they appear to crave so badly.

Kai Havertz is only three goals behind Isak this season but will never be the consistent out-and-out centre forward they so painfully lack. Neither is Gabriel Jesus.

It’s curious that in more than five years Arteta has overseen a net spend of £483.79 million but he is yet to find a player like Isak to lead the forward line with such venom.

Wenger got away without one too for donkey’s years but then he had Thierry Henry and few players compare favourably to the masterful Frenchman.

It is no shame to have finished second in the Premier League twice in succession to imperious Man City.

But the dominant force in English football suddenly looks fallible so there’s a big excuse for failure gone.

Champions League quarter finals last season, the last 16 of the Europa League the year before that. Gallant defeats but defeats nonetheless.

The title race looks beyond them this season. Third time in a row.

Arteta is a bright, young, energetic coach with a lengthy managerial career ahead of him at only 42.

And if he takes Arsenal up to St.James’ Park next month and turns Newcastle over in a stunning second leg comeback to get to Wembley, ignore all of the above.

But for now time is not on his side as the clock keeps ticking and Arsenal’s near-misses mount up.

Arsenal ratings vs Newcastle as Havertz fluffs golden chance with academy statlet the only bright light for Gunners

ARSENAL have a mountain to climb to reach the Carabao Cup final after a shock 2-0 first-leg defeat to Newcastle.

Here SunSport’s Jordan Davies rates every Arsenal player on a disappointing night at the Emirates…

DAVID RAYA – 6/10

Looked nervy with ball at feet at times but could do nothing to stop Alexander Isak’s brilliant close-range finish.

Unlucky to see his palmed save tapped in by Anthony Gordon.

MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY – 8

The academy product was very impressive again. Turned out of danger well at both ends of the pitch. So calm under pressure.

GABRIEL – 6

Gave Isak far too much space to manoeuvre a shot in the box before the Toon’s second. Wasteful and ineffective from corners.

WILLIAM SALIBA – 6

Had an early effort blocked near the line by Dan Burn. Was dealing with Isak well until losing a header to Sven Botman that saw the Toon striker score.

JURRIEN TIMBER – 5

Missed an absolute sitter from a yard out from a corner.

Was then caught sleeping just after the break to allow Gordon to double Newcastle’s lead.

THOMAS PARTEY – 6

Linked defence and attack fairly well without ever really doing anything spectacular.

DECLAN RICE – 6

Plays Jacob Murphy onside from a flicked on free-kick that leads to Newcastle taking the lead.

Took more responsibility in the second half on the ball.

MARTIN ODEGAARD – 7

Heavily man-marked by Joelinton but looked back to his very best after a spate of illness.

GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 8

Much more direct in his running. Unlucky not to open the scoring with his driven shot hitting the post after a half-way line sprint.

Continued to be positive in his play – just lacked the finishing touch.

LEANDRO TROSSARD – 6

Sneakily got away with dragging Isak down to stop the Swede joining a Newcastle counter in the first half and a good first-time pass to set Martinelli away. Those were his only highlights.

KAI HAVERTZ – 5

May just be back from a sickness bug, but the big German did very little, apart from somehow fluffing a header wide unmarked from six yards.

SUBS:

JORGINHO (PARTEY, 59) – 7

Some nice passes into dangerous areas and sprayed the ball about with conviction.

GABRIEL JESUS (TROSSARD, 59) – 6

Lively and sharp without every really testing Newcastle’s back four or goal.

OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO (LEWIS-SKELLY, 77) – 5

Booked within a minute of coming on for a rash challenge on Joelinton.

Read More »

Lost tomb of Ancient Egypt ‘sorcerer’ who healed sick royals found in City of the Dead – but it hints at tragic secret

THE lost tomb of an ancient Egyptian royal doctor that dabbled in “magic” has been uncovered.

Teti Neb Fu’s burial place was found in the southern part of Saqqara, a vast burial ground often described as a “city of the dead”.

Interior of a 4,000-year-old mastaba at Saqqara, Egypt, showing colorful reliefs and a large stone slab.
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
This impressive tomb was the burial site of an ancient Egyptian royal doctor[/caption]
Colorful reliefs inside a 4,000-year-old mastaba at the Saqqara archaeological site.
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
The stunning burial chamber is believed to date back over 4,000 years[/caption]

His stunning tomb is believed to have been built around 4,000 years ago – and its luxurious design shows how important the doctor was in life.

Teti Neb Fu (or Tetinebefou) is believed to have been a doctor to the royal family, serving during the reign of King Pepi II.

It’s a “mastaba” tomb, which is a type of flat-roofed structure often used to mark the burials of important ancient Egyptians.

The tomb was discovered as part of a joint French-Swiss archaeological mission.

Teti Nebu Fu is described as a doctor and “magician”.

In ancient Egypt, magicians were seen as a kind of sorcerer, using staffs and wands as well as magical phrases and writings.

It’s believed that Teti Neb Fu was a “magician” of the Egyptian goddess Serket.

This was the goddess of healing venomous stings and bites – suggesting that Teti Neb Fu was skilled at that kind of treatment.

He’s also named as the “chief dentist and director of medicinal plants” on his sarcophagus.

This skill may explain why he was given such a high position, as well as a beautifully decorated tomb.

“The tomb is adorned with stunning carvings and vibrant artwork,” said Egypt‘s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

“Including a beautifully painted false door and scenes of funerary offerings.”

Sadly, archaeologists discovered a tragic secret: there was “evidence of ancient looting”.

This means there may have been treasures inside the tomb that have long since vanished.

Colorful reliefs depicting jars and birds on a Saqqara mastaba wall.
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
Detailed artworks reflect the high station of the doctor[/caption]
Colorful reliefs depicting ancient Egyptian jewelry on a mastaba wall.
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
The walls are well-preserved, despite evidence of ancient looting[/caption]
Colorful reliefs on the wall of a 4,000-year-old mastaba in Saqqara, Egypt.
Rex
The tomb is believed to have belonged to a physician that dabbled in magic[/caption]

A brief history of Ancient Egypt

Here's everything you need to know...

  • The Ancient Egyptians were an advanced civilisation who at one point ruled over a huge portion of the globe
  • The civilisation was founded about 5,000 years ago when ancient people set up villages along the River Nile
  • It lasted for about 3,000 years and saw the building of complex cities centuries ahead of their time – as well as the famous Great Pyramids
  • The Ancient Egyptians were experts at farming and construction
  • They invented a solar calendar, and one of the world’s earliest writing systems: The hieroglyph
  • The Egyptians were ruled by kings and queens called pharaohs
  • Religion and the afterlife were a huge part of Ancient Egyptian culture. They had over 2,000 gods
  • Pharaohs built huge elaborate tombs to be buried in, some of which were pyramids – at the time among the largest structures in the world
  • The Egyptians believed in life after death, and important people’s corpses were mummified to preserve their bodies for the afterlife
  • The Ancient Egyptian empire fell in 30BC due to a mix of factors, including wars with other empires and a 100-year period of drought and starvation

But thankfully most of the tomb is well-preserved.

“The tomb’s walls remain intact, offering a rare glimpse into daily life and cultural practices during the Old Kingdom,” the Egyptian ministry explained.

“The team also discovered a stone sarcophagus with inscriptions bearing the physician’s name and titles.”

The ministry added: “This incredible find adds to Saqqara’s rich legacy as one of Egypt’s most significant archaeological sites.”

Colorful reliefs of ancient vessels and furniture on a mastaba wall.
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
The royal doctor is believed to have been skilled at healing bites and stings[/caption]
Excavated tombs at Saqqara, Egypt.
Alamy
Saqqara in Egypt is the site of many ancient tombs, burial chambers, and even pyramids[/caption]

Pepi II Neferkare was a pharaoh in Egypt’s Old Kingdom.

He’s believed to have ascended to the throne aged six, reining from around 2278 BC.

His reign has been linked to a declining of the Old Kingdom, and he died at some time around 2216BC or 2184BC.

Nefekare, his second name, means “Beautiful is the Ka of Re”.

Statue of Pepi II Neferkare and a child.
Wikimedia Commons/Brooklyn Museum
This alabaster statue shows Ankhesenmeryre II and her son Pepi II, who would become king[/caption]
Aerial view of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, Egypt.
Alamy
This image of Egypt’s Saqqara shows the impressive Step Pyramid of Djoser[/caption]

What is the curse of the pharaohs?

The curse of the pharaohs is an alleged hex that some believe is cast on anyone who disturbs an Ancient Egyptian mummy, especially a pharaoh.

It’s said to caused bad luck, illness or even death and apparently does not differentiate between archaeologists and thieves.

The legend is often connected to King Tutankhamun and the people who passed away after opening his tomb in 1922.

Eight of those involved – including Howard Carter, the British archaeologist who led the expedition – died in the years following the tomb’s discovery.

It’s earned the supposed spell the nickname “King Tut’s curse”.

Needless to say, experts rubbish any claims of a hex surrounding Ancient Egypt’s mummies.

Sceptics have pointed out that dozens of people who visited Tut’s tomb or helped to discover it lived long and healthy lives.

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World’s longest train journey would cover 12,000 miles across 13 countries over 21 days for £1,000…but Putin’s ruined it

THE world’s longest train journey that could have taken passengers 12,000 miles isn’t actually possible – and Putin is to blame.

The route of Portugal to Singapore would take a suggested 21 days, but passengers are currently deprived of it due to Putin’s tyrannical war effort.

Red train on railway tracks in the mountains.
Getty
The theorised route would take passengers across 13 countries[/caption]
Mark Smith leaning out of a train window.
Seat 61
Mark Smith, known as The Man in Seat 61, unravelled the myth of the world’s longest route[/caption]

It would take commuters 11,653 miles across Europe, Siberia and Asia, but Russia‘s war with Ukraine has effectively shut it off from travel.

The despot’s conflict has meant that trains are not running from Western or Central Europe to Moscow, which would be where you pass through.

Passengers who wanted to spend months on a train, when adding in stop-offs, would begin in Lagos and finish in Moscow.

All of this at the cost of around £1,000 seems too good to be true.

Primarily, you cannot travel from Kyiv into Moscow due to the ongoing war.

Secondly, the route includes the rail transfers Paris Moscow and Moscow to Beijing.

Both the Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Manchurian Moscow-Beijing trains have been cancelled since 2019.

Thirdly, the journey isn’t as simple as buying one ticket, it would involve buying about 20 different ones across multiple websites.

This would rely on all of those scheduled trains to run smoothly.

Mark Smith, known as The Man in Seat 61, unravelled the myth by carefully explaining why this route isn’t feasible.

He told The Independent: “You don’t buy the ticket from a little bloke in a booth in Lagos, selling tickets to Singapore for a direct train leaving every Tuesday.

“That’s what you don’t do.

“If it were possible, and it isn’t, you, it would be about 20 different separate tickets for 20 different separate trains bought on 15 different websites, all for regular scheduled trains.”

He went into more detail on his website, writing: “A few clever clogs will tell you it is technically possible, if you slowly work your way on multiple trains to a certain Estonian local station near the Russian border and walk across to a Russian Railways station on the other side, but nipping across a dodgy border on foot into a hostile state isn’t quite what the ‘little-man-in-a-booth-in-Lagos-selling-tickets-to-Singapore’ brigade had in mind.

“My advice?  If (as I fervently hope) the war ends and such a journey becomes safe and practicable once more, don’t bother starting from Portugal

“Start from your local station in the UK or wherever you live, your journey will be remarkable and amazing enough. 

“No need to chase a flawed and possibly unattainable concept.”

Mark claimed that the actual longest train journey isn’t Lagos to Moscow, but Sintra to Singapore.

Map showing the theoretical longest train journey from Portugal to Singapore, disrupted by the war in Russia.

He continued: “Villa Real de San Antonio (VRdeSA) to Lisbon is significantly longer than Lagos to Lisbon.

“There’s no rail connection east into Spain from VRdeSA, so the shortest rail route from VRdeSA to Singapore is via Lisbon, just as it is from Lagos.

“VRdeSA to Singapore is longer than Lagos to Singapore.

“Sintra (only 29 km west of Lisbon) is further from Singapore than Lagos, therefore Lagos to Singapore is disallowed by exactly the same logic as VRdeSA to Singapore.

All of this means that the so-called world’s longest train journey is hampered by several mitigating factors, logistics and a literal war.

The allure of the longest train journey has been around for years.

The theory originated when the Laos-China railway opened for business.

This linked Kunming and Vientiane – a missing link in the rails between Europe and Singapore – in 2021.

Mark Smith, the man in seat 61.
Seat 61
The suggested path faces several issues, including logistics and the fact that travel into Russia is prohibited[/caption]

Read More »

The shock rise of prison guard sex cases revealed as officers cut HOLES in uniforms for quickies with porn-mad inmates

HOLES cut in uniforms for illegal liaisons, blackmail ‘sext’ plots and pornography ‘sticks’ smuggled through the gates – this is the sordid underbelly of prison life in modern Britain.

The shocking sex tape of officer Linda De Sousa Abreu, who received a 15-month jail sentence this week, has appalled the public and those who work in the prison service

Selfie of a woman in a black, sheer, sequined mini-dress.
Linda De Sousa Abreu was sentenced to 15 months in jail for having a relationship with a prisoner
A female police officer and a male prisoner engaging in sexual activity in a prison cell.
She was filmed having sex with lag Linton Weirich in Wandsworth Prison
Mugshot of Linda de Sousa Abreu.
PA
She was said to have ‘participated with evident enthusiasm’ by a judge[/caption]

The Venezuela native, 30, a married swinger with an account on OnlyFans, claimed to have been “terrified for her own safety” when she was filmed in June last year. But her lies have since been debunked.

The same day as the now-infamous video was recorded, she was also captured performing a sex act with the same inmate, Linton Weirich, on her bodycam.

She romped with the burglar, held in Wandsworth Prison for stealing £65,000 worth of valuables, at least once before and even arranged for an officer “to be present to keep watch”. 

The judge said De Sousa Abreu “participated with evident enthusiasm” in the viral video, which was nearly five minutes long and had “caused great harm” to the prison service.

Shockingly, in recent years stories like this have become increasingly common, with record numbers of female prison officers fired for having sex with male inmates.

In the last three years alone, 29 were sacked, compared to just nine between 2017 and 2019, while 50 more, from 124 investigations, were suspended or moved to a new role instead. 

Grooming for sex appears so commonplace that gangs are exploiting it too, with one Albanian con brazenly boasting on TikTok that he “f***ed female prison officers for £2,000”.

Now, former prison workers and inmates tell The Sun why cases have skyrocketed, blaming rushed hirings of inexperienced young women easily preyed upon by manipulative career criminals.

They tell us how staff as young as 18 are often brought in following insufficient background checks, only to find they are quickly blackmailed by inmates desperate for sex.

Reformed criminal Stuart Reid, author of 10 Years A Cat A, warns part of the problem is that “prisoners are master manipulators” and it’s a skill they can never unlearn. 

Linton Weirich, prisoner, drinks a cocktail at a bar.
Instagram
Linton Weirich was filmed having sex with De Sousa Abreu last year[/caption]

He tells The Sun: “They have a trait to coerce people into doing things. That won’t stop in prison. They look for weak links in the staff, for someone to do their bidding.

“You could something small but it then leads to smuggling in a phone, bringing in drugs or even giving them sex.” 

Former senior prison officer Sally, not her real name, attests to this, saying crooks constantly look for ways to exploit guards.

“All it takes is just that one thing, one favour, then you’re stuck and you’re trapped forever,” she tells us.

She was never charged, but she was investigated and was told, ‘Resign and you can walk away, or you will be arrested’

Unnamed prison officer

Becoming compromised is deceptively simple. Even if an officer accepts a game of pool where the winner gets a Mars bar, they would be judged to have broken the rules by gifting a prisoner – and from there they could be blackmailed.

Sally tells us: “They used to say to me, ‘Oh miss, save us twos on your cig?’ but I knew their plan. It starts with that, then it’s ‘Get us a bottle of vodka’, then ‘Bring stuff in’ and then they want the keys.

“I’d tell them, ‘You’re not going to get it from me’, stamp my cigarette out on the floor. It was my way to tell them I’d never, ever cross that line. Essentially I was saying ‘Get lost’ but they respect you for it.

‘Never just sex’

Ruth Shmylo, a prison officer cleared of having a relationship with a convicted gangster.
WNS
Ruth Shmylo, 26, was accused of having a five-month inappropriate relationship with an inmate[/caption]
Mugshot of Harri Pullen.
WNS
Shymlo claimed Harri Pullen was harassing her and she felt unable to report him[/caption]

Ruth Shmylo, who was cleared of misconduct in public office in 2023, is among the prison officers who says she was exploited and forced into sexual situations.

She claimed to have been forced to have phone sex with an inmate, who passed her his number in prison and then threatened to hurt her family if she didn’t comply. 

Shmylo told the court that she feared repercussions if she reported him and felt engaging in conversations, which she described as “sexual harassment”, was a way of “trying to damage control the situation”.

However, motivations can vary from case to case, and despite constant surveillance behind bars it’s not hard for determined prison officers to find places to get frisky with lags. 

The Sun was told some officers even cut holes in their uniforms to make it easier to get up to no good and to arouse less suspicion in more public places.

Prison officer Ayshea Gunn kissing inmate Khuram Razaq.
© Mersyside police/Andrew Price
Ayshea Gunn with lover inmate Khuram Razaq in the cells[/caption]
Mugshot of Khuram Razaq.
© Mersyside police/Andrew Price
Razaq convinced Gunn to have a relationship despite being being bars[/caption]

An anonymous HMP worker told MailOnline there are “actually lots of places they could potentially have sex” away from prying eyes – including cupboards, medical rooms and even cells if they’re “happy to live dangerously”.

They explained that officers could plausibly come up with an excuse to have a ‘chat’ with an inmate, allowing them to sneak off together for illegal acts. 

They recalled one woman was found to have had sex acts performed on her in a methadone room, for recovering heroin addicts, after the prisoner blabbed about an extremely distinctive tattoo just above the lady’s groin. 

“She was never charged, but she was investigated and was told, ‘Resign and you can walk away, or you will be arrested,’” the officer, who is currently serving, alleged.

They also claimed the lady had been smuggling drugs for the prisoner, showed “it is never just about sex for these guys”. 

'Sex-mad' prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu sentenced

By Josh Saunders

SEX tape prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, has been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for one count of misconduct in public office.

The crimes of the Venezuelan, of Fulham, southwest London, came to light after an X-rated clip of her with an inmate went viral.

De Sousa Abreu romped with burglar Linton Weirich, who stole £65,000 worth of valuables from a safe, in June last year in the clip.

She was filmed by his cell mate on a phone that would have been smuggled into prison and he seen smoking a spliff,

Sentencing the former prisoner officer, who is a married swinger, Judge Martin Edmunds KC spoke about how her actions will impact the “reputation of the prison service” and their ability to recruit.

He continued: “It causes anxiety among those close to vulnerable prisoners who worry more about the environment in which prisoners are held. That recording is still out there and will doubtless circulate indefinitely.

“You are not responsible for the wider problems of prisons, but you have added to them. The level of harm is high, indeed very high.”

A Prison Service spokesman previously said: “Staff corruption is not tolerated and the former prison officer allegedly featured in this video has been reported to the police.”

Of course, all of these actions are highly dangerous, as was the case with De Sousa Abreu, who during her infamous sex tape had her keys on the table. 

Sally explains: “It was a major security risk and the repercussions could have been horrendous.

“They could have locked her in the cell, then because the cell door was open they could use the keys to open all the end landing gates of the wing.

“It could have been terrible. What she did was so dangerous and put so many people – staff, inmates, vulnerable prisoners – at risk.

“During the Strangeways (Manchester Prison) riots in 1990, vulnerable inmates were battered and at least one was killed. I don’t think she realises the risk she caused. It was inexplicably dangerous.” 

Booming porn trade 

Stuart claims part of the problem is that there is no outlet for men’s sexual needs while in prison – pornography, X-rated images and other blue material are banned.

It’s led to a booming illegal trade of ‘sticks’, which he explains are memory sticks containing around 100 over-18 films and TV shows, 20 porn flicks and other bits like games.

He tells us: “In high security prisons they can sell for £500. They are smuggled in. The prison service are paranoid about them because messages can be sneaked in too.

“Unless you’ve been chemically castrated, if you’re serving 20 or 30 years you are still going to have urges and the imagination can only go so far.”

If you’ve got a bad husband or boyfriend who’s a bit of a s*** or a cheater and some cons starts charming and flattering you, it may be hard to be so disciplined

Stuart Reid

Prisoners are able download content from these ‘sticks’ onto video games consoles, where they can be played. Often this type of content is shared around. 

Stuart adds: “One day someone won’t bring in a data stick or have sex with someone, it will be something dangerous that will put high security at stake.” 

Sex is also banned but as the scores of cases in recent times prove, that hasn’t stopped crooks from trying.   

In fact, Andrew Davy, the governor of Wandsworth Prison, where De Sousa Abreu worked, claimed female staff were “considered fair game” by inmates and noted they were regularly “hit on”.

Prison targets

It’s believed around 40 per cent of public sector prison staff are women and since the 1980s, both men and women have been allowed to work in opposite sex prisons.

It’s suspected the true number of female staff who leave under a cloud is even higher than reported – due to claims some quit without being charged for misconduct, some cases not making it to court and figures only representing public prisons, not private ones run by G4S, Serco and Sodexo.

Stuart says there are a raft of “pretty boy prisoners”, who – due to have nothing to do – spend “all their time bulking up in the gym” to flirt with, tempt and trick officers into sexual liaisons.

He adds: “I feel for women working in prisons, most are under 35, they are getting lots of unwarranted and unwanted attention. It must be difficult to navigate.

“You can imagine how much attention they get from prisoners, some who won’t see the light of day for five, 10, 15 years, maybe even longer. 

Close-up of Aisha Golsby, a former prison officer.
Facebook
Aisha Golsby, 23, was jailed for 16 months after falling in love with an inmate and tipping him off about a cell search[/caption]
A handcuffed woman escorted by a prison officer outside a courthouse.
© Andrew Price / View Finder Pi
Emily Watson was jailed after performing a sex act on an inmate on Christmas Day[/caption]
Mugshot of Emily Watson.
She was sentenced to 12 months in prison

“Some, without wanting to sound unkind, wouldn’t normally get that type of attention in the real world but these guys are on a mission to find someone to pass the time away with, so to speak.

“Or if you’ve got a bad husband or boyfriend who’s a bit of a s*** or a cheater and some cons starts charming and flattering you, it may be hard to be so disciplined.

“If he’s telling you ‘You’re a princess’, how great you look and how he could do so much for you when he’s out, some may be tempted. But with that they will often want something else in return too.”

‘Scum of the earth’

That’s often been the case for the scores of female prison officers who have been corrupted by the crooks into not only having sex but smuggling items including drugs in or turning a blind eye too. 

De Sousa Abreu, for example, was caught on video ignoring the fact her lover’s fellow inmate had a mobile phone and was smoking a spliff.

Among the most prolific cases, many have occurred at the £212million ‘super prison’ HMP Berwyn in North Wales, where 18 women were sacked for relationships with cons.

They include Emily Watson, who performed a sex act on her locked-up lover in his cell on Christmas Day and Ayshea Gunn, who had 1,200 calls – including racy video calls – with crook Khuram Razaq.

I had been in person for literally 20 minutes when I was taken to an upstairs office by a prison officer, who asked me for £10,000 and asked what he could do for it

Stuart Reid

She not only smuggled a phone into prison for him but also a pair of her worn-knickers, which were concealed in her bra. 

Sally believes the hiring process in the prison service is a big part of the problem – and notes a practice of offering voluntary redundancy packages only to rehire people on lower salaries hasn’t helped. 

She says it led to the force losing a lot of experience and due to officers “starting on less money that never really gets up to what older officers are on”, few see it as a long-term career.

Crooks are willing to exploit this. As former governor Vanessa Frake tells us, “the one thing prisoners have is time so they are always listening”, ear-wigging on staff conversations and even hiding behind doors to gain intel.

This makes them more easily exploitable, Sally tells us, adding: “Guards say, ‘Oh I’m skint, I’ve got no money,’ then the prisoners come in all friendly, offering ‘If you do this for me, you can have this’.

Ayshea Gunn, a prison warder accused of misconduct.
Ayshea Gunn was among multiple women from HMP Berwyn, in Wales, who had flings with prisoners
Facebook
Suicide netting between floors on a prison wing.
Getty
At Wandsworth Prison, it’s claimed female staff were ‘considered fair game’ by inmates[/caption]

She brands those type of people “scum of the earth” but according to ex crook Stuart, it’s not just the prisoners who are making offers.

He explains: “I had been in person for literally 20 minutes when I was taken to an upstairs office by a prison officer, who asked me for £10,000 and asked what he could do for it.

“He wanted to buy his daughter a car for university and said he’d been into my file, seen I was a convicted drug dealer and that I’d made ‘lots of money’ in the newspapers.

“He was offering to bring in phones, drugs, anything I wanted. I turned him down. That was 20 years ago but I can imagine things haven’t changed, there are still corrupt prison officers.” 

Inexperienced staff

Vanessa told us that “a quarter of staff at Wandsworth were inexperienced”, which she puts down to high turnover in the job, low pay, difficult hours and younger people being hired. 

She adds: “You can join at 17 and start by your 18th birthday, which I think is too young, you have no life experience at that point. Imagine trying to tell a hardened criminal of 50-plus years to change their life? I don’t think it works.” 

I believe she was doing it for notoriety, it’s disgusting. She’s obviously sex mad and put prisoners and staff at risk

Sally, former prison officer

Sally says: “I joined when I was in my 30s and I thought, ‘What the hell have I done?’ I was scared to death. So 18 is definitely too young, they can’t handle criminals who have been in and out of the system for years.”

The remedy for Vanessa is better and more regular training, more support for staff and thorough vetting, which she believes has fallen by the wayside.

She adds: “The vetting procedures the prison service employs now, since Covid, is nothing like it used to be.

“Many join the prison service online, I don’t think you can judge a person’s character by talking to them there. Face-to-face interviews are far better.”

Another thing Vanessa calls for is for the crooks engaging in sexual liaisons with officers to also face prosecution. 

“We focus on the women but it takes two to tango,” she tells us. Sally disagrees arguing you “can’t blame a prisoner because who would refuse?” and believes the “one in uniform” is the only person culpable.

Vanessa adds: “The prisoners should be charged under the Bribery Act of 2010. There’s also the prison disciplinary system and they can be moved.

Linton Weirich drinking a cocktail at a bar.
Linton Weirich stole £65,000 worth of valuables from a safe
Mugshot of Linda de Sousa Abreu, a prison officer jailed for having sex with an inmate.
PA
De Sousa Abreu was sentenced to 15 months but will serve less than half in prison[/caption]

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