Silverwater jail guard Melissa Goodwin in alleged inmate relationship

A Silverwater prison officer already under investigation over an alleged association with a former inmate has been arrested for multiple alleged sex acts with a prisoner.

A female prison guard already stood down over an association with a former inmate has now been charged with allegedly carrying out “five sexual acts” with a prisoner at Silverwater.

Melissa Goodwin, 25, has been under investigation by corrective services officials for her association with an aspiring rapper and former jailbird Caleb Valeri.

Her bosses stood her down for failing to disclose her association with Valeri, who she has appeared beside in social media posts, while they continue investigating her connection to him.

But a tip to police from within Corrective Services NSW last week led to charges over an alleged sexual relationship between Goodwin and a different man – current inmate Corey London.

Melissa Goodwin.

The prison officer has been stood aside for failing to declare a relationship with an inmate.

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Detective Inspector Robert Hollows – boss of prison investigations at NSW Police – claimed Goodwin took contraband into Silverwater’s Metropolitan Remand Centre for London and repeatedly performed sex acts with him.

“The allegation is there was five sexual acts at separate incidents at the facility in Sydney’s west and also there was an allegation of contraband being take into the centre, being tobacco, lighters and chewing gum,” Det-Insp Hollows said.

“I (allege) it’s been going on for several months, since November last year (and) … that there has been correspondence between this female officer and the inmate.”

Det-Insp Hollows said London had been moved to a different jail but would not face a charge.

Goodwin was arrested wearing tights and an oversized white hoodie at her home in Ingleburn yesterday and taken to Campbelltown Police Station where she was charged with holder of public office misconduct and engage in relationship with inmate cause safety risk.

Goodwin (left) leaving Campbeltown police station on Monday. Picture: Adam Yip

The 25-year-old was arrested at a home in Ingleburn this morning.

Det-Insp Hollows said new legislation introduced in 2018 meant guards who had sex with inmates now faced up to two years in jail.

“You’re dealing with inmates in a correctional facility, they’ve broken the law and for a sworn officer to engage in any type of activity with an inmate, there will be consequence,” he said.

Det-Insp Hollows said police were not acting on the claims involving Valeri.

“We are aware that she was suspended … currently that’s not a police investigation and we do understand it’s managerial and it’s in relation to failing to declare an association with a former inmate,” he said.

Women make up around 42 per cent of the Corrective Services NSW workforce. New laws were passed in 2018 after revelations a number of female guards had become ­involved with inmates.

The case of Amy Connors and the association she struck up with Sione Penisini at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre in Kempsey thrust the issue into the public eye. Ultimately Connors was spared jail time when a judge ruled their relationship was “intimate and not sexual”.

Originally published as Silverwater jail guard Melissa Goodwin in alleged inmate relationship