Jail psychologist, 32, admits misconduct in public office over sexual relationship with convicted murderer

By ANDY DOLAN, GENERAL REPORTER Published: 13:24, 4 August 2026 | Updated: 13:26, 4 August 2026 A jail psychologist appeared in court today to admit having a sexual relationship with a convicted murderer. Dr Amber-Renee Gayle, 32, conducted a relationship with lifer Rickarlo Williams, 24 at HMP Swinfen Hall, where she was based. Gayle, wearing a white top and black jacket, admitted misconduct in public office by having a sexual relationship with a prisoner between May 1 2024 and November 30 2024. She also admitted computer misuse by using the prison's National Offender Management Information System to obtain information about serving prisoners and another charge of conspiring with others to bring a mobile phone and Sim cards into jail. She pleaded not guilty to a further charge of conveying cannabis into the prison. Williams, who appeared via video link from Swinfen Hall, which is outside Lichfield, Staffordshire, pleaded guilty to conspiring to bring a mobile phone and Sim cards into prison and a separate offence of having a mobile phone in prison on September 24 2024. He also denied the charge of smuggling cannabis into the Category C training prison, which specialises in housing those aged 18 to 25. Prosecutors were given 14 days to decide whether to pursue a trial in relation to the cannabis charge against each defendant. Dr Amber-Renee Gayle admitted misconduct in public office by having a sexual relationship with a prisoner in 2024 Gayle, who runs her own consultancy, and has worked in prisons for a number of years, sat impassively at the back of Birmingham Crown Court as her barrister, Stephen Akinsanya OBE, said she ‘of previous good character’. Her family were in the public gallery at to support her. Swinfen Hall is a closed young offender institute. It has an operational capacity of 624. An unannounced inspection in 2024 by Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, found that drugs and other illicit items were easily accessible at the jail, one of six ‘priority concerns’ he identified for the prison to address. At the time of the inspection 130 of the 611 prisoners being held were lifers. Williams was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in 2022 for the machete murder of Hussein Al-Saabri, 23, in Harrow, north-west London, in 2020. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.