The UK prisoner at the centre of a viral prison sex scandal has broken his silence.

Linton Weirich, an inmate at HMP Wandsworth, has spoken out about his relationship with former prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu. Weirich claimed that De Sousa had always behaved in a 'flirty' manner towards him during her time working at the South London jail.

According to Weirich, their physical relationship began well before the infamous video emerged online. He claimed they had sex 'a few times' in various locations across the prison. These encounters allegedly took place inside a prison office and within his own cell.

The scandal erupted after a video of the two having sex in a cell was leaked online. Weirich revealed that another inmate actually recorded the explicit footage. Crucially, the prisoner insisted that De Sousa was fully aware that the encounter was being filmed.

'I added her on Snapchat and we talked about what she was up to,' Weirich toldThe Sun. 'She was into her gym. Her banter was flirty. It was obvious she liked me but I think she also wanted someone to look out for her on the landing. She asked me to sort out an inmate who spat on her, so I did.'

'I didn't want it to be filmed,' he clarified. 'You can see I was saying, 'Stop' and putting my hand up. I had a pregnant partner and didn't want it getting out. Linda knew it was being filmed but didn't seem to care about it or her job.'

The footage quickly circulated on social media, sparking nationwide outrage and a police investigation.

NEW: Female prison officer accused of filming s*x with an inmate in a Wandsworth jail cell says people don't know her side of the storyLinda De Sousa Abreu says that others have tried to financially benefit from her "misfortune."She accused the media of "sensationalizing" the…pic.twitter.com/4tqJ1ynwpY

Weirich used the opportunity to criticise the overall environment at HMP Wandsworth. He claimed that jail staff corruption was rampant across the institution. Furthermore, he described the daily conditions for inmates as 'inhumane.' He stated that prisoners were routinely locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day.

Weirich also shed light on thewidespread availability of contrabandinside the facility. He admitted to paying £1,500 (approximately $2,000) for a smuggled smartphone. This illicit device was reportedly brought directly to his cell by a different prison officer. The admission highlights severe security breaches within the Victorian-era prison.

Source: International Business Times UK