Married HMP Wandsworth prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu, who had sex with a prisoner on video, ‘had problems in her marriage’ when she carried out illegal acts behind bars

A married HMP Wandsworth officer who had sex with a prisoner on camera ‘was having problems in her marriage’ when the pornographic clip was filmed.

Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, admitted to having sex with serial burglar Linton Weirich in his jail cell at the scene of a scandal, but says she only agreed after Lags threatened to expose her career as an amateur porn star.

Close friend Hayley, who would only give her first name, told MailOnline that De Sousa Abreu was reportedly going through a ‘really tough time’ at work, claiming inmates knew her husband’s name and that they knew her OnlyFans account.

Hayley said the alleged “pressure” and “coercion” had a domino effect on DeSousa Abreu’s marriage around the time the scandalous footage was filmed.

De Sousa Abreu, who claims she has since “found faith in God”, pleaded guilty to one charge of misconduct in public office at a hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday.

Linda De Sousa Abreu (pictured) had sex with a prisoner on video at HMP Wandsworth

The X-rated clip shows De Sousa Abreu dressed in full uniform and performing a sex act on Weirich, who has a pregnant girlfriend, in the Category A prison

A close friend of the prison officer (pictured) has told MailOnline she was having ‘marriage problems’ when she filmed the X-rated clip with the inmate

De Sousa Abreu was a prison officer at HMP Wandsworth (pictured) when the explicit footage was filmed – her friend claimed she was ‘forced’ to do so by prisoners

‘Linda was having a really hard time at work because of all this. And she was also having problems in her marriage,’ Hayley told MailOnline.

“She is devastated by what happened and full of remorse. It has completely destroyed her and she is trying to rebuild her life.”

The former prison guard, who has Portuguese nationality, is still married to her husband, with whom she has an eight-year-old daughter.

Hayley continued: ‘They are a lovely couple and are working hard to save their marriage. It hasn’t been easy for them.

‘People try to make Linda out to be some kind of sex monster, but that’s not the case at all.’

Her close friend is convinced that the circumstances surrounding the incident will become public when De Sousa appears in court in November to hear the verdict.

She said: ‘There is much more to this story than people think. Some prisoners had gotten hold of Linda’s personal details.

“They knew her address, her husband’s name, and that she had an OnlyFans account. She was put under a lot of pressure and there was a lot of coercion involved.”

She was filmed on a mobile phone while having sex with inmate Linton Weirich (photo)

Linton Weirich (pictured with his partner who is seven months pregnant) is the prisoner who was filmed having sex with a female guard in a cell

Ms De Sousa Abreu, a Portuguese national living in South West London, is a married former prison officer

Linda De Sousa Abreu leaves Isleworth Crown Court on Monday

De Sousa Abreu (pictured in a sketch by a court artist) pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in a public office and was released on bail ahead of her sentencing in November

De Sousa Abreu lives in a sprawling social housing estate in Fulham, close to where Weirich grew up.

Hayley added: ‘It wasn’t difficult for the other prisoners to get Linda’s details and find out things about her private life.’

“She’s a very kind and caring person who made a terrible mistake. We all do things wrong in life and people shouldn’t be so quick to judge her.”

The June 27 encounter was filmed by another inmate and went viral on social media. MailOnline later revealed that De Sousa Abreu has appeared on TV swinging shows and has an OnlyFans account.

She was subsequently identified by staff at HMP Wandsworth and arrested by the Metropolitan Police at Heathrow Airport as she attempted to fly to Madrid.

She called the prison to say she would not be returning to work and that her husband would return her equipment.

Hayley also revealed that De Sousa Abreu has “found faith in God” since her arrest, which gives her “great comfort.”

The explicit clip opens with her, dressed in full uniform, performing a sex act on Weirich, who has a pregnant girlfriend, in the Category A prison.

She is then seen having sex with the serial thief while his cellmate films on a mobile phone. Footage from the cell shows a TV and piles of clothing stacked across a bunk bed.

The friend smoking a cigarette during the recording says, ‘Guys, we made history, this is what I want to tell you.’

Her radio, which she has left on a side table, crackles constantly. On the other channels you can hear her colleagues, above the noise of the other prisoners on the landing, who do not know what is happening in the cell.

At one point, someone appears to be trying to enter the cell. You hear the man filming say to the person on the other side of the door, “Give me a minute, a second.”

The prisoner filming tells his friend to keep going, turns the camera around briefly and says with a grin: ‘That’s how we do things in Wandsworth.’

De Sousa Abreu lives in a sprawling social housing estate in Fulham, close to where Weirich (pictured) grew up

The meeting at HMP Wandsworth (pictured) on June 27 was filmed by another prisoner and went viral on social media

During her hearing at Isleworth Crown Court, Judge Martin Edmunds, KC, registrar of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, granted De Sousa Abreu bail in preparation for her hearing on November 7.

He has also ordered a pre-sentence report and will hear any mitigating circumstances before imposing sentence.

De Sousa Abreu is subject to “strict” bail conditions, including her Portuguese passport being kept in police possession and her not being allowed to apply for international travel documents.

She is banned from entering any British port and the judge has also placed her under an electronically monitored curfew between 7pm and 9am.

Her lawyer Gayathri Yogarajah previously described her as a “young mother” and “a person of good character”.

Tetteh Turkson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘This was a shocking breach of public trust. De Sousa was clearly an enthusiastic participant who wrongly believed she would avoid responsibility.

‘The CPS recognises that there is no excuse for prison officers behaving in such a way and we will never hesitate to prosecute those who abuse their positions of power.

‘After working closely with the Metropolitan Police to build the strongest possible case, De Sousa had no choice but to accept her guilt. She will now rightly face the consequences of her actions.’