Two Prison Officers Sentenced After Having A Relationship With Prisoner Brothers
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Today (Friday 7 August 2026) two female prison officers have been sentenced at Manchester Crown Court after having an inappropriate relationship with two brothers based in HMP Buckley Hall.
Jai Gascoyne, 25, of Chapel Street, Tameside, was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of misconduct in a public office. She received 1 year and 4 months for each count to run concurrently.
Elle Walton, 27, of Gordon Street, Lancashire, was sentenced to 1 year and 1 month after pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office.
Gascoyne began working at HMP Buckley Hall in August 2021 and Walton began working in January 2023, they both went through thorough training on general security, corruption prevention, and conditioning, however on Thursday 28 March 2024 during a routine search at HMP Buckley Hall, with the support of officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), a drugs dog made a positive indication on Gascoyne when she arrived to work.
During the interaction, officers noted that Gascoyne was wearing a silver necklace with a heart pendant engraved with the letter 'D' along with a second necklace with a tag containing Arabic writing. She told officers this necklace was for her Dad.
Due to the positive indication from the drugs dog, an investigation was launched by the NWROCU and a search of Gascoyne's vehicle was conducted.
Officers found and seized the following items:
- A card in a sealed envelope addressed to Dil Nawaz, with his prison number and prison address.
- A ring in a box
- A mobile phone
During the time of these events, Dil Nawaz was a prisoner within HMP Buckley Hall along with his brother Haq Nawaz. Immediately after discovering the items in Gascoyne's vehicle, officers searched the cells of the brothers.
Within Dil Nawaz cell, officers seized the following:
- A valentines card
- A necklace with 'J' on a love pendant
- Bracelet with 'J' on love heart pendant
Within Haq Nawaz cell, officers seized the following
- Moonpig cards
- Papers with phone numbers on
- Silver necklace with 'E' on pendant
Officers can evidence that the pendant engraved with the letter 'J' is referring to Jai Gascoyne, while the pendant engraved with the letter 'E' is referring to Elle Walton. The necklace recovered from Dil Nawaz was identical to a necklace worn by Gascoyne, which was engraved with the letter 'D', believed to be a reference to Dil Nawaz. Gascoyne was also found to be wearing a necklace bearing Arabic script, which was translated as Ayat al-Kursi, a verse from the Quran. As Dil Nawaz is a Muslim, this provided further evidence supporting the existence of a relationship between him and Gascoyne.
Gascoyne's mobile phone was digitally extracted unveiling not only her own corruption but also Waltons. Between 12 February 2024 and 23 March 2024, Messages between Gascoyne and Dil Nawaz talk about how in love they are as well as plans to marry as 'the prison can't do anything and it's not like she's bringing drugs in'.
There are also messages between Gascoyne and Walton referring themselves as 'Mrs N'. On 14 February 2024, Walton informs Gascoyne that Haq has asked her to be his girlfriend.
On 2 April 2024 Gascoyne attended a voluntary interview where she was charged with misconduct offences.
On 4 July 2024, Walton was arrested at her home address, officers seized two mobile devices and two letters from Haq Nawaz.
Her device was digital extracted which uncovered further her relationship with Haq Nawaz. Both Gascoyne and Walton tried to use false names to cover up their corruption but ultimately slipped up by referring to 'Haq' and 'Dil' in messages.
From the mobile phone data, officers can evidence that between 10 February 2024 and 28 March 2024, both Gascoyne and Dil Nawaz contacted each other 432 times with over 159 hours of call time.
Between 22 January 2024 and 2 March 2024, both Walton and Haq Nawaz contacted each other 462 times.
Dil Nawaz, 30, has plead guilty to intentionally encouraging / assist the commission of an either way offence and possession of a mobile phone. He was sentenced to 1 year to run consecutively with his existing sentence.
Haq Nawaz, 32, has plead guilty to intentionally encouraging / assist the commission of an either way offence and possession of a mobile phone. He was sentenced to 1 year to run consecutively with his existing sentence.
DI Brian Morley from the 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."