Warder guilty of possessing drugs

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/london/7909382.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A prison officer is facing a possible jail sentence after being convicted of possessing heroin and cannabis with intent to supply.

Patricia Ollivierre, from Brent, north London, was confronted by suspicious colleagues at Wormwood Scrubs and found with drugs hidden in her car and mouth.

Ollivierre, 30, who was having a relationship with a prisoner, admitted misconduct in a public office.

But she was cleared of wilfully running drugs to inmates in the prison.

Ollivierre, who had been a warder for more than six years, was caught in an operation by the new London Prison Anti-Corruption Team (LPACT).

Its aim is to tackle the trafficking of mobile telephones and controlled drugs into jails by staff.

'Love you sexy'

Police said Ollivierre was found with drugs with a prison value of more than £5,500 - up to 10 times what they would be worth on the street.

When confronted, she hid one wrap of heroin in her mouth, but later insisted all of the drugs belonged to a friend, an ex-convict.

Ollivierre admitted having an "inappropriate" relationship with a convicted robber and London's Southwark Crown Court heard she had received more than 150 calls from him on a mobile phone smuggled into the jail. Such criminal actions can damage the public's trust in the prison service Det Insp Mark Teodorini, Met Police

One of her text messages replies read: "Love you sexy." Another spoke of her regret at not being allowed to "touch" him.

"I believe my feelings overshadowed my professional conduct at the time," she told the court.

Prosecutors said Ollivierre had planned to traffic drugs into the prison for "a prisoner or prisoners for commercial gain".

They said it was "reasonable" to infer that "one of the possible recipients" was the prisoner she had fallen for.

She, however, denied running drugs and was found not guilty of the charge.

Detective Inspector Mark Teodorini, from LPACT, said: "Such criminal actions can damage the public's trust and confidence in the prison service and judicial process."

The governor of Wormwood Scrubs, Phil Taylor, said: "We proactively support criminal prosecutions where appropriate, and as governor I will not tolerate staff corruption of any kind."

Ollivierre will be sentenced on 26 March.