A married mother-of-three who had a steamy affair with an inmate behind bars while she was working as a corrective services staffer has avoided jail.
Jessica Elguindy, 25, pleaded guilty on Friday to having an intimate relationship with an inmate at Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre in Sydney‘s northwest.
Elguindy, who is the daughter of Corrective Services NSW Superintendent Walid ‘Wally’ Elguindy, engaged in a four-month relationship with inmate Beau Jones while working at a facility where her father was also the superintendent.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest any wrongdoing on Mr Elguindy’s part.
In agreed facts tendered to the court, the 25-year-old sent illicit pictures and images of sex toys to Jones’ contraband phone, the Penrith Press reported.
The court also heard Elguindy, who has since resigned from her position at the correctional facility, confessed her love to the inmate.
Her former colleague and best friend, Amber Clavell, also allegedly engaged in a relationship with another inmate – armed robber Mark Kennedy.
The friends would send each other text messages discussing the difficulty of having extramarital affairs with men behind bars, court document state.
Jessica Elguindy, 25, pleaded guilty on Friday to having an intimate relationship with inmate Beau Jones while employed at a correctional facility
The married mother-of-three (pictured with her husband Mitch Haden) engaged in a four-month long tryst with the inmate
Elguindy and Clavell were both arrested on April 23 when the corrective services handed over an internal investigation to police.
Magistrate George Breton described Elguindy’s offending as ‘very, very serious’ and rejected her bid to have the charges dismissed on mental health grounds.
However, Magistrate Breton added Elguindy’s diagnosis of depression and anxiety did influence her decision to pursue a relationship with Jones.
‘The psychological reports and other materials indicated that she was struggling throughout this period but has come out the other end, but there is still plenty of work for her to do’, Magistrate Breton said.
He said that the 25-year-old acted at Jones’ ‘behest’ and began sneaking in contraband for him after the affair began.
Elguindy also asked a third party to access restricted data so that she could progress in her relationship with Jones.
The court heard Egluindy allegedly had also pursued another relationship with a different inmate at the same time as her affair with Jones.
The affair took place at Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre in Sydney ‘s northwest (pictured)
Magistrate Breton told the court Elguindy’s actions were ‘deliberate, consistent and persistent’ and the affair was a ‘breach of trust’.
He noted Elguindy showed a considerable amount of remorse and accountability, with the offender acknowledging the harm she caused by engaging in the affair.
Elguindy also pleaded guilty to accessing restricted data and misconducting herself as a holder of public office.
She was sentenced to 12 month intensive corrections order – which is a prison term to be served in the community.
Meanwhile, Clavell pleaded guilty to unlawfully delivering or attempting to deliver anything to an inmate, drug supply and misconducting herself as a holder of public office.
She is scheduled to face Penrith Local Court on September 24 for sentencing.
