The governor of a scandal-hit prison has been sacked after he was filmed walking out of a brothel, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Rob Kellett, a Prison Service veteran, had been in charge at HMP Lindholme in South Yorkshire since 2011, overseeing more than 900 inmates and staff.
He became the subject of jail gossip over the summer when a video that was said to show him leaving a Sheffield venue called GFE began circulating on social media.
After the Daily Mail made the Ministry of Justice aware of the footage, officials confirmed they had launched an ‘internal investigation’.
This has now concluded and Mr Kellett – who was governor of three other prisons before Lindholme – has been dismissed for a breach of professional standards.
Prison staff face disciplinary action for using sex workers or visiting brothels due to personal integrity and security concerns.
If inmates become aware of inappropriate sexual conduct by staff, they can use this information for blackmail, according to former prison governor Ian Acheson.
Rob Kellett, a Prison Service veteran, became the subject of jail gossip over the summer when this video began circulating on social media
GFE describes itself as a massage parlour that offers ‘the best choice of girls, all excited, fun and guaranteed to offer you satisfaction’
‘Governors are not immune to blackmail and manipulation as a result of such reckless behaviour,’ he told the Mail.
‘At the last inspection 21 per cent of the prisoners in the jail he led reported they had acquired a drug habit while in custody.
‘We badly need people focused on fixing this chaos not undermining the profession and colleagues.’
Mr Kellett’s leadership at Lindholme has coincided with a string of scandals involving prison officers having illicit relationships with inmates.
They include Charlotte Winstanley, 27, who had a ‘romantic relationship’ with 29-year-old convicted thug Jabhari Blair before smuggling in contraband, including a mobile phone and SD cards.
Her crimes, which occurred between August and November 2022, carry a maximum 10-year sentence.
Mr Kellett had been in charge at HMP Lindholme in South Yorkshire since 2011, overseeing more than 900 inmates and staff
Another officer, Morgan Farr Varney, was sentenced to 10 months in jail earlier this year after being caught in a cupboard with a convicted drug dealer.
The 24-year-old, who was arrested in January 2023, admitted to falling ‘proper in love’ with the prisoner, and showered him with love letters that were later found in his cell.
The video that prompted Mr Kellett’s sacking showed a man dressed in a grey suit and a white shirt walking out of a door between two shuttered shopfronts in Sheffield.
He briefly glanced to one side before walking out of view of the camera, which appeared to be on a vehicle dashboard.
The premises, GFE, describes itself as a ‘premier massage parlour’ that offers ‘the best choice of girls, all excited, fun and guaranteed to offer you satisfaction’.
When a Daily Mail reporter visited the seedy establishment, he was told to go into the waiting area.
Three skimpily dressed women then appeared from behind a curtain and offered their services.
A receptionist confirmed they all provided GFE – girlfriend experience – in which sex workers perform intimate acts.
The other male customer then selected one of the women. At this point, the reporter left.
Prison officer Morgan Farr Varney admitted she had ‘fallen in love’ with drug dealer Jordan Stones while working at Lindholme
Charlotte Winstanley had a ‘romantic relationship’ with convicted thug Jabhari Blair before smuggling in contraband, including a mobile phone and SD cards
Mr Kellett has worked for the Prison Service for over a decade, previously serving as director of HMP Birmingham from February 2018 to June 2019.
That followed a spell in the private sector as managing director of Interserve Healthcare, which provides healthcare at home to people with complex needs.
Prior to that, he was lead governor of Leeds prison and then HMP Hatfield and HMP Moorland, which are jointly managed.
Mr Kellett was dismissed within the last few weeks, the Daily Mail understands.
A Prison Service spokesman said: ‘Where officers fall below our high standards, we do not hesitate to take robust action.’
Lindholme is designated as a Category C training prison that is meant to prepare inmates for the outside world through work and education opportunities.
The last Independent Monitoring Board Prison found there had been three deaths in custody in the year to January 2025.
It found violence had increased within due to the ‘significant amounts’ of drugs and contraband flowing into the prison, but praised the management’s ‘tireless’ work to turn things around.
