Two female prison officers have been jailed after having inappropriate relationships with a pair of brothers serving time at a prison in Manchester. Jai Gascoyne, 25, of Chapel Street, Tameside, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Friday August 7, 2026 to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of misconduct in a public office. The terms will run concurrently. Elle Walton, 27, of Gordon Street, Lancashire, received 13 months after admitting a single count of the same offence.
Discovery and investigation
Gascoyne started work at HMP Buckley Hall in August 2021 and Walton in January 2023. Both had completed training covering security, corruption prevention and conditioning. On March 28, 2024 a routine search involving officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) saw a drugs dog indicate on Gascoyne as she arrived for duty.
Officers noted she was wearing a silver heart pendant engraved with the letter “D” and a second necklace bearing Arabic script. She claimed the latter was for her father. A subsequent search of her vehicle recovered a sealed card addressed to prisoner Dil Nawaz, a ring and a mobile phone. Officers then searched the cells of Dil Nawaz and his brother Haq Nawaz. In Dil’s cell they found a Valentine’s card, a necklace with a “J” pendant and a bracelet also marked “J”. In Haq’s cell they seized Moonpig cards, papers listing phone numbers and a silver necklace with an “E” pendant.
Evidence of relationships
Investigators concluded the “J” items referred to Gascoyne and the “E” pendant to Walton. The necklace recovered from Dil matched one worn by Gascoyne and engraved with “D”. The Arabic inscription on her other necklace was identified as Ayat al-Kursi, a Quranic verse; Dil Nawaz is Muslim.
Examination of Gascoyne’s phone revealed messages with Dil Nawaz between February 12 and March 23, 2024 in which the pair expressed love and discussed marriage, with Gascoyne stating the prison could do nothing and that she was not bringing in drugs. Further messages between the two officers referred to themselves as “Mrs N”. On February 14 Walton told Gascoyne that Haq had asked her to be his girlfriend.
Charges and sentencing
Gascoyne was charged after a voluntary interview on April 2, 2024. Walton was arrested at home on July 4, 2024; officers seized two phones and letters from Haq. Data from her devices confirmed the relationship. Both women tried to use false names but referred to “Haq” and “Dil” in messages.
Phone records showed Gascoyne and Dil Nawaz contacted each other 432 times between February 10 and March 28, 2024, logging more than 159 hours of calls. Walton and Haq Nawaz made 462 contacts between January 22 and March 2 2024. Dil Nawaz, 30, and Haq Nawaz, 32, each pleaded guilty to intentionally encouraging or assisting an either-way offence and to possessing a mobile phone. Both received 12-month sentences to run consecutively with their existing terms.
DI Brian Morley of NWROCU said: “Both Gascoyne and Walton knew their actions were corrupt and went to significant lengths to conceal their offending while continuing in their roles as prison officers. By working together to hide their crimes, they undermined the integrity and trust placed in prison staff.
“We welcome the sentencing of both them as well as the extended sentences imposed on the brothers involved. We would like to thank colleagues from HMPPS at HMP Buckley Hall for their support throughout this investigation.
“Corruption has no place in our prisons. Those who abuse their position will be identified, investigated and brought to justice. Maintaining the safety and security of our prisons remains a top priority.”
