Female prison officer, 23, is charged over 'inappropriate relationship' with inmate in 'Britain's cushiest jail'

By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:04, 12 June 2026 | Updated: 13:10, 12 June 2026 A 23-year-old prison guard has been charged with misconduct in public office amid accusations she had an 'inappropriate relationship' with an inmate.  Kyra Dancer, who previously worked at HMP Five Wells, had been under investigation amid accusations she had a relationship with a prisoner.  Ms Dancer was employed by G4S and worked at their Wellingborough facility, which has been dubbed 'Britain's cushiest jail' and is among the worst in the country. Five Wells - which is also known as 'HMP Woke' - cost £253 million and was dubbed a super prison when the Northamptonshire prison was opened in 2022.  The 23-year-old has since been charged with two counts of misconduct in public office and two counts of Section 40D Prison Act offence.  An offence under Section 40D Prison Act is when a person takes or sends a photograph or sound recording inside a prison without permission. It also includes a person who brings a restricted document into the prison, or transports it out of the facility.  Dancer, of Rushden, is accused of 'wilfully and without reasonable excuse of justification misconducting' herself. Her misconduct is alleged to have amounted to an abuse of the public's trust by being in an 'inappropriate relationship' with a serving prisoner.  She faces two counts of the charge, one dated on or between May 29, 2024 and November 9, 2024, and the other between July 11, 2024 and November 9, 2024. Kyra Dancer, 22, (pictured) who previously worked at HMP Five Wells, has been charged with two counts of misconduct in public office  Dancer is accused of engaging in 'an inappropriate relationship' with a serving prisoner at HMP Five Wells  An aerial view of HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. It is Britain's most expensive prison The 23-year-old also stands accused of sending an 'image or sound by electronic communications from inside His Majesty's prison' - HMP Five Wells.  These incidents were alleged to have taken place on October 15, 2024 and October 22, 2024.  She is scheduled to appear at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on June 25, 2026.   A Northamptonshire Police spokesperson said: 'Kyra Dancer, aged 23, of Rushden, has been charged with two counts of misconduct in public office and two counts of Section 40D Prison Act offence.' HMP Five Wells is a category C men's prison located in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. The prison is privately run and houses men with up to two years left of their sentence, and aims to provide rehabilitation and resettlement. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.