Female prison officer pals jailed over illicit flings with gangster brothers

Two prison officer friends who struck up secret relationships with jailed gangster brothers have been jailed after a court heard they swapped Valentines cards with the men behind bars.

Former HMP Buckley Hall officers Jai Gascoyne, 25, and Elle Walton, 27, were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Friday (August 7) after admitting misconduct in a public office. The pair were close friends outside work. Moreover, prosecutors said they became entangled in parallel illicit relationships with two dangerous inmates at the Category C prison in Rochdale.

The men at the centre of the scandal were brothers Dil Nawaz, 30, and Haq Nawaz, 32. They were described as kingpins of a major Lancashire organised crime group.

The gang ran a crack cocaine and heroin operation worth between 2.15m and 3.1m. Haq was jailed in September 2023 for 13 years and 10 months, while Dil was locked up for 12 years.

The court heard the inappropriate contact ran for months, between January and April 2024. Gascoynes relationship was with Dil, while Waltons was with Haq, the Mirror reported. The pairs secretly exchanged Valentines Day cards, and Gascoyne even ordered matching personalised necklaces and bracelets for herself and Dil.

Prosecutors said the corruption went further than flirty messages, according to the Manchester Evening News. Both women knew about the others relationship and actively supported each other to keep it hidden while the offending continued.

Mr Hall said: It was clear each knew of the others inappropriate relationship and they supported each other in the offending. Both women resigned from their roles.

The officers also benefited financially. Associates linked to the Nawaz brothers transferred money to the women, the Mirror reported.

Gascoyne was additionally caught using a phone to communicate with a third prisoner, Michael Haigh. However, investigators said there were limits to what happened.

The relationships did not reportedly become physical or sexual inside the prison, the court was told. There was also no evidence either officer smuggled contraband, weapons or illegal drugs into Buckley Hall on the brothers behalf.

Both women resigned from the Prison Service after the investigation exposed their conduct. Defence lawyers argued they had shown genuine remorse and asked the judge to spare them immediate custody.

Nevertheless, the court refused, saying a firm prison sentence was needed as a clear warning to any other officers tempted to cross the line with high-profile inmates.

The judge, Recorder Ben Lawrence, said: You were well aware you were not to have relationships with prisoners under any circumstances." He added: You have undermined that trust in the most devastating way you could have in that role.".

Gascoyne was jailed for 16 months, while Walton was handed 13 months. Dil and Haq Nawaz both had a year added to their sentences

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

[Google Preferred Source Badge]Follow Daily Star: