Inmate Declan Winkless, 31, will serve an additional five years in prison after a Court of Appeal increased his sentence for misconduct involving a prison officer.
Winkless was already serving an 11‑year term for aggravated burglary. In January he received an extra three years and four months for prison smuggling and related offences, a term later deemed insufficient and subject to appeal.
Former prison guard Alicia Novas, now 20, was sentenced to three years for her role in the affair; her term remains unchanged.
Novas began working at HMP Five Wells in July 2024 at age 18, shortly before Winkless arrived at the facility. By November, she had provided him with her personal phone number, initiating a sexual relationship.
The pair used multiple phone numbers to exchange messages, calls, and video chats, accumulating 2,873 contacts between 1 August 2024 and 21 March 2025.
Novas was arrested on 23 December 2024 and released on bail with a condition prohibiting further contact with Winkless.
Three days after her release, she resigned from her position and resumed communication, making approximately 400 additional phone calls to the inmate.
During the investigation she admitted to smuggling cannabis and two mobile phones into the prison and to unauthorized communications, including revealing the identity of a prisoner informant.
Authorities described the conduct as a serious breach of duty, emphasizing the erosion of public trust and the compounded nature of the offences committed by both individuals.
