Prison worker sentenced for misconduct in public office after misreporting welfare checks

A prison support worker has been sentenced after he was previously convicted of misconduct in public office for fabricating the number of welfare check he carried out on a vulnerable prisoner.

Graham Evans, 67, was on overnight duty at HMP Hewell in Worcestershire on 7 June 2018 and was required to check on high-risk prisoner Mesut Olgun four times every hour.

He recorded that he had carried out a total of 33 checks but CCTV footage later revealed he had performed only 15, leaving 30-year-old Mr Olgun unsupervised for significant periods of time.

Evans was found guilty of misconduct in public office.

He was sentenced today (Monday, 19 February 2024) at Worcester Crown Court to nine months imprisonment suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and pay £7,500 in prosecutions costs within 18 months.

Rosemary Ainslie, Head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said: “In his role as a prison support worker it was Evans’ responsibility to carry out all the required welfare checks on Mr Olgun, a vulnerable prisoner in his care.

"He both failed to carry out the number of required checks and fabricated the records.

“The jury concluded that his actions amounted to serious misconduct and he has now been sentenced today as a result.

“Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mesut Olgun.”