A probation officer has admitted to a serious breach of trust by engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a prisoner at one of Britain's most secure jails.
Guilty Plea at Crown Court
Bethany Dent-Reynolds, 27, from Forest Hill in southeast London, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday. The charge stated that she was in an "inappropriate relationship" with serving prisoner Kieran Robinson between 15 February 2024 and 3 May 2024 while she was working at HMP Belmarsh in Woolwich.
The court heard that her actions amounted to an abuse of the public's trust in her role. A second, similar misconduct charge relating to a period between 1 March and 20 April 2024 was denied by Dent-Reynolds and subsequently dropped by the prosecution.
Computer Misuse Allegation
The initial charge also included an allegation that Dent-Reynolds "caused software namely Ndelius Record, to perform a function with intent to secure unauthorised access to data held in a computer." This is understood to relate to the probation service's case management system.
She faced a third, separate charge under the Computer Misuse Act 1990, which she denied. This charge was ordered to lie on file, meaning it will not be pursued further.
Sentencing and Broader Context
Dent-Reynolds was granted unconditional bail and will return to Woolwich Crown Court for sentencing on 6 February 2025, where she herself could face a prison term.
This case emerges weeks after another prison worker, Isabelle Dale, was convicted for similar offences involving inmates at a different facility. HMP Belmarsh, which opened in 1991 and holds nearly 800 inmates, is one of the UK's highest security prisons, housing notorious criminals including Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi.
