South Yorkshire Police last week (January 10) revealed that a pharmacy support worker at HMP Doncaster, “who used a false name and a fraudulent phone line to communicate with a prison inmate she was in a relationship with”, has been jailed.
An investigation into Nomthandazo Sibanda, 24, of Sussex Street in Balby, by Prison Anti-Corruption Unit detectives began in August 2024 “following concerns raised about her starting an inappropriate relationship with an inmate at the prison”, it added.
The force said that Sibanda was arrested in September after detectives analysed telephone conversations to confirm their relationship.
Read more: ‘A serious breach’: Pharmacist warned over sexual relationship with patient
“Her vehicle and home were searched, leading to the discovery of a mobile phone that she had used to ring the inmate,” it added.
A “thorough search of her home” also uncovered numerous boxes of medication – some of which had prisoners' names on them, the force said.
“It was soon confirmed they had been stolen from the pharmacy during her course of employment,” it added.
“Desperate efforts”
Investigating officer Tayla Waller said that Sibanda “exploited her position as an employee in a public office to form a clandestine relationship with a serving prisoner before creating a false identity to speak with him and steal medication”.
“She went to desperate efforts to try and conceal her identity, but she was soon rumbled following an investigation in which we worked closely with the prison service,” she added.
Read more: Pharmacy tech suspended for smuggling cannabis into prison ‘in cleavage’
Sibanda “pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and theft by an employee” and was sentenced to eight months in prison at Sheffield Crown Court last week (January 9), police said.
“The judge ordered that two charges related to possession of a Class C drug and conveying a prohibited article out of a prison were to remain on file,” it added.
“An immediate warning”
“Staff in these roles are rightly held to a high level of scrutiny and expectation, and we will take action against anyone abusing their position and carrying out misconduct in a public office,” Waller warned.
“I hope this sends an immediate warning to anyone thinking of committing similar crimes,” she said.
“Thankfully, improper relationships between prison staff and inmates are rare and the majority of employees in our prisons carry out their roles to the highest standards and levels of service,” she added.
Read more: Dispensing behind bars: Life as a prison pharmacist
“We expect the highest standards of behaviour from everyone who works at the prison, including those from our many partners who provide critical support,” HMP Doncaster Serco prison director John Hewitson said.
Meanwhile in June, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) issued a warning to a pharmacist after it was “discovered” that she had entered into a sexual relationship with a patient.
And in August, a pharmacy technician who attempted to smuggle cannabis, a sim card and three memory cards into a prison when visiting an inmate who “pressurised” her was suspended for 10 months.
