Woman Denies Bribing Prison Guard with Sex

A woman accused of bribing a prison guard by having sex with him has strongly denied the allegation, stating that she did not influence him to smuggle contraband behind prison walls.

As part of Operation Portia, a long-running police investigation into suspected staff corruption at Rimutaka Prison, the 37-year-old woman is one of six individuals facing charges. The accused group includes three former Corrections staff, one current employee, an inmate, and a member of the public.

However, the woman failed to appear in Hutt Valley District Court on Tuesday for her bribery charge. Judge Tim Black refused her name suppression and issued a warrant for her arrest.

In an interview with Stuff, the woman explained that she missed the court appearance because she overslept. She further mentioned that the police arrested her at her Wainuiomata home, but instead of taking her to Hutt Valley District Court, they held her in the cells of a Wellington police station. The following day, she appeared in court, where she was granted name suppression and released on bail until her next court appearance on January 25.

The woman admitted to having sexual relations with the prison guard she is accused of bribing, a 50-year-old man from Porirua. However, she vehemently denied using sex as a means to influence him to smuggle contraband into Rimutaka Prison.

Expressing her dismay, the woman questioned why she would resort to bribing the guard with sex, stating, “I feel really hurt. I’ve been through hell in my life.”

Another inmate who also has name suppression has been charged as a party to the alleged crime.

The woman revealed that several years ago, the police approached her regarding their investigation into corruption, but she declined to cooperate due to concerns that they would manipulate her words. Recently, she was invited for an interview at a police station, only to be subsequently charged with bribery.

The woman expressed her frustration over being the only Operation Portia accused individual who initially did not receive name suppression, deeming it an unfair situation. Having her name published was a “disgrace” and would likely bring shame to her family.

Regarding the prison guard involved, the woman stated that she had engaged in consensual sexual activity with him but denied that it was part of a bribery scheme. The guard, a 50-year-old man from Porirua, is accused of accepting sex from the woman on two occasions as a means to smuggle contraband into Rimutaka Prison in April 2020.

Additionally, three other men implicated in the corruption investigation allegedly smuggled contraband into the prison in exchange for small sums of money, ranging from $65 to $1300.

Stuff previously reported that Operation Portia was initiated in June 2020 after an inmate at Rimutaka Prison orchestrated the trafficking of drugs into New Zealand from behind bars, utilizing smuggled cell phones.

The investigation, led by the police’s National Organised Crime Group, involved interviews with nearly 200 individuals, including Corrections staff, prisoners, and other witnesses. Detectives utilized techniques such as phone interrogation, analysis of bank data, and extensive CCTV footage examination.

In addition to the corruption and bribery charges, detectives identified other alleged offenses, including assault and the misuse of documents. As a result, five individuals have been charged, with one prosecution still ongoing.

In response to the developments, Corrections national commissioner Leigh Marsh stated that the department will not tolerate illegal behavior within prisons. The staff member who has been charged has been suspended, and Marsh emphasized the expectation of high standards of conduct from all employees.

Rimutaka Prison has faced several challenges in recent times. In February last year, inmate Damon Exley escaped while disguised as a prison guard and subsequently abducted and raped a woman. The incident exposed significant flaws and failings within the prison system.