A female prison officer is facing serious allegations over a reported relationship with a teenage inmate more than 20 years her junior.
Ruta Indrasiunaite, 38, from Mitcham in south London, has been accused of forming a personal relationship with then-17-year-old Royston Perry while working at HMP Cookham Wood, a Young Offenders’ Institution in Rochester, Kent, between April and November 2021.
She appeared before magistrates in Sevenoaks on July 31, facing charges of misconduct in public office, bringing a prohibited article into a prison, and removing a restricted document from the facility that same year.
Prosecutors allege that Indrasiunaite brought cannabis into the prison and removed a list of approved prisoner telephone PIN numbers—both restricted items. The alleged relationship with Perry is said to have taken place between April 29 and November 30, 2021.
Indrasiunaite, who appeared in court via video link from her Mitcham home due to having recently given birth, pleaded not guilty to all charges. Because two of the alleged offences are indictable-only, all three matters have been referred to crown court.
Perry, now 21, also appeared before the court in a separate hearing via video link from prison. He has been charged with two counts of conspiring to smuggle drugs and mobile phones into prison, along with a separate charge of bringing cannabis inside.
He has not yet entered a plea, and his case has also been sent to crown court.
Indrasiunaite has been released on bail. Perry remains in custody at HMP Bristol. Both are scheduled to appear at Maidstone Crown Court for preliminary hearings on August 29.
