Female Prison Officer Jailed For Secret Affair With Murderer

Arriving For Sentencing: Whittaker

A female prison officer, who had an affair with a murderer nearly twenty years her junior - exchanging love letters and flirtatious texts, calling him: 'Baby Cake' - was jailed for fifteen months today.

Anita Whittaker, 52, of Oak Way, Acton had served eleven years with HM Prison Service when she began the relationship with 35 year-old Kazadi Kongolo, who stabbed a fellow-teen to death as a youngster.

The Zaire-born Wormwood Scrubs prisoner was 17 years-old when he murdered a 19 year-old male at a railway station on September 9, 1998, stabbing him four times - including a fatal wound to the heart.

At the Old Bailey on March 25, 1999 he was detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure and told he would serve a minimum of twelve years custody.

Whittaker pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in public office, namely engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a serving prisoner and failing to report a serving prisoner had possession and use of a mobile phone on dates between April 1 and October 6, last year.

"She's lost her job, her reputation and she is embarrassed," Diane Buck, defending, told Isleworth Crown Court. "She had two daughters who are a year of two younger than Mr. Kongolo."

The court heard Whittaker took advantage of her position in the prison workshop to enjoy physical contact with Kongolo, progressing from kissing and cuddling to oral sex.

Wormwood Scrubs

"The offence came to light during a random cell search on the segregation unit and discovery of a mobile phone Mr. Kongolo had hidden in his anus," explained prosecutor Mr. Rav Johal. "The defendant's number was on that phone."

Whittaker then began a cover-up of the affair by trying to remove love-letters she had given Kongolo.

"She was caught assisting his move on the wing, escorting him when she had no business being on the wing and was there to remove the letters from him.

"Her home was searched on the day of her arrest and letters were found from Mr. Kongolo and in her bedroom was found a phone, which she used to keep in contact with the prisoner.

"She admitted developing a friendship and then a relationship after four months that became intimate and sexual.

"She said she was vulnerable after an abusive relationship with another prison officer who worked at another location.

"The relationship with Mr. Kongolo consisted of touching, then kissing, him putting his hand under her knickers and she performed oral sex on him."

Kongolo, who was prohibited from having a phone, sent texts such as: 'Good morning my beautiful'. 'Hey, I love you' and 'Sexy Queen.'

She replied, often referring to the prisoner as: 'Baby Cake.'

Whittaker denies oral sex occurred and Miss Buck added: "There was no full sexual intercourse, this was a loose sexual relationship with cuddling and touching.

"Encounters occurred in the workshop and a lot of his letters included fantasy, but she accepted them from him and she shouldn't have."

The Recorder of Kensington and Chelsea, Judge Richard McGregor-Johnson, rejected this and said the communication between them revealed oral sex did take place.

"Because of where you worked a prison sentence will be much more difficult for you," he told Whittaker. 

"Prison security was well drilled into you when you trained, it's very important and can be compromised when you have a sexual relationship with a life prisoner.

"It undermines discipline and boundaries and opens up the officer to the potential of blackmail.

"He had an illicit mobile phone and you were well aware he had it and made contact with it on sixty-four occasions and you had contact with his brother and the partner of his cellmate.

"You were under a duty to report that phone, but you could not because that would lead to the discovery of your illicit relationship."