Jahvine Kwamba, a 21-year-old prison officer at HMP Fosse Way in Leicester, has been jailed for eight months after admitting to misconduct in public office and unauthorized electronic communication within a prison. Kwamba engaged in a relationship with inmate Roberts Sokolovs, who was serving time for his involvement in a county lines drug ring and had previously called himself the 'Latvian Pablo Escobar'.
The relationship between Kwamba and Sokolovs, who was transferred to her wing nine days after she began working there in January 2024, involved the exchange of over 12,000 messages in less than four months. The court heard that Kwamba also received substantial sums of money, totaling £4,075, from Sokolovs' mother and sister.
Judge Tim Spencer KC stated that Kwamba's actions "struck at the heart of the criminal justice system" and that the only appropriate sentence was immediate custody. He suggested Kwamba, who was 19 when she met Sokolovs, was "easy prey and easy pickings" for the inmate, who exploited her naivety and immaturity.
Kwamba continued to communicate with Sokolovs even after he was moved to an immigration removal center pending deportation. During his time at HMP Fosse Way, the pair reportedly contacted each other nearly 7,000 times via mobile phone and over 5,000 times via Snapchat. While the content of these prison communications could not be recovered, messages sent later included explicit images and videos, confirming the nature of their relationship.
Sokolovs, who was jailed for six years and two months in January 2023 for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was part of an organized network involved in moving heroin and crack-cocaine. His mother, Zita Sokolova, 53, received a four-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, and was ordered to pay £400 costs for her role in the unauthorized electronic communications. His sister, Venera Sokolova, 19, was given a 12-month community order for the same offense.
Kwamba was arrested in July 2024. She is now working as an office administrator and has completed a business qualification. Her defense argued for her remorse and immaturity at the time of the offenses. Sokolovs' family maintained they did not know Kwamba was a prison officer, believing she was Sokolovs' girlfriend.