A former prison officer who sent topless videos to a convicted killer while working behind bars as a teenager has been spared jail.
Samantha Stowell, now 23, worked on HMP Manchester's notorious Alpha wing when she was 19, and reportedly fell in "love" with convicted killer Conor Dobson, who had been jailed for killing a 70-year-old gran in a hit-and-run crash.
According to a report in The Irish Sun, Stowell and Dobson maintained a three-month relationship while he was inside the prison, with the teen officer sending the killer pictures and videos of herself in her underwear and topless. Dobson also managed to wire her money from inside his cell so she could splash out on gifts, with Stowell calling herself his "little princess".
Messages and gifts
In one message found on Stowell's phone, Dobson said she "had eyes that make me fall in love" to which she responded "You make me so happy, love you."
Stowell spoke of them "finally being together properly again", saying: "I miss you more every day Conor Thomas Dobson. Hopefully, I can be your little princess one day again. You actually have such a special place in my heart. All my love always, Samantha."
The phone also contained topless photos the pair had sent each other during the relationship, which reportedly started in March 2022, as well as more explicit videos and pictures of Stowell.
Court hearing
The court also heard how Stowell received bank transfers seemingly for extravagant gifts during the relationship, with one for £500 referencing a "dinner date", while others for £240 and £200 were labelled "Tiffany and Co." and "hair".
Stowell reportedly admitted that she had "been stupid and didn't want to go to prison" after talking to police about the relationship. She was dismissed from her job at HMP Manchester back in August 2023.
Sentence
Stowell pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office between March 13, 2022 and August 10, 2023, but was spared prison and instead given a six-month suspended sentence, with the judge describing Stowell's young age at the time as a "significant" factor in this decision.
Judge Patrick Field said: "I will leave it to others to question how it was that a 19-year-old girl is sent into Manchester Prison – into the Lion's Den."
