A prison worker who unlawfully trawled through the confidential records of some of the UK's most notorious criminals has been sentenced to 21 months in jail. Courtney Harrison, 27, accessed files of neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, serial killer Harold Shipman, and child murderer Rose West while working in an administrative role at HMP Moorland in Doncaster. She also looked up records of Damien Bendall, who murdered two women and children with a claw hammer, and shared information about another inmate, George Tunney, with a friend.
Grave Breach of Trust
Sheffield Crown Court heard that Harrison accessed the records without authorisation between 2023 and 2024. Judge Jeremy Richardson KC described her actions as a "grave breach of trust" and said prison officers and staff are entrusted with significant responsibility. "When an individual breaches that trust, punishment must follow, and an example has to be made of them," he stated.
Harrison admitted two charges: misconduct in public office and causing a computer to perform a function to secure or enable unauthorised access to a program. She broke down in tears as the sentence was passed on July 7, 2026.
Details of the Offences
The court heard that Harrison accessed the records of Harold Shipman, a GP believed to have killed around 250 patients; Rose West, convicted of multiple murders alongside her husband Fred; and Lucy Letby, who was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others. She also viewed files of Damien Bendall, who used a claw hammer in his attacks.
More seriously, Harrison shared confidential information about George Tunney, an inmate serving time for cash machine robbery, with a friend who had a connection to Tunney. The details were sent via email and later found on a device in Tunney's cell. Tunney subsequently absconded from prison but was later recaptured. Judge Richardson noted there was no evidence Harrison assisted his escape.
Sentencing and Mitigation
Judge Richardson acknowledged that no tangible harm resulted from Harrison's snooping on the high-profile inmates' records, but he emphasised the seriousness of her overall behaviour. "You were, in effect, dancing around the edge of a volcano. That volcano erupted, and here you are in the Crown Court facing a sentence," he said.
The judge considered mitigating factors including Harrison's age—she was 23 at the time of the offences—but concluded: "What you did was comprehensively wrong. To access the private criminal and prison records of past and current prisoners. It was a grave breach of trust."
