Two prison officers have been sentenced to prison for developing relationships with convicted drug dealers at Buckley Hall Prison near Rochdale. Jai Gascoyne, 25, was sentenced to 16 months and Elle Walton, 27, received a 13-month sentence after admitting to misconduct in public office.

Illicit Relationships Exposed

The relationships came to light during a behavior detection operation, which led to an anti-corruption probe. Investigators discovered incriminating evidence, including a Valentine's Day card from Gascoyne to inmate Dil Nawaz, which read: "Waiting is a sign of true love and patience." The card also stated: "Anyone can say I love you but not everyone can wait and prove it." Gascoyne signed off the card with "I love you always."

Further searches uncovered a love letter in Gascoyne's car and a ring in a box. Dil Nawaz's cell contained a matching pendant engraved with the initial 'J', alongside the Valentine's card. Gascoyne was found wearing two necklaces, one with a heart engraved with 'D' and another with Arabic script. She claimed the 'D' was for her father, but could not explain the Arabic script, later identified as a Quranic verse for protection.

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A Second Officer Involved

Incredibly, the same investigation also revealed that Gascoyne's friend and fellow prison officer, Elle Walton, was in a secret relationship with Dil Nawaz's brother, Haq Nawaz, 32. Haq Nawaz was also an inmate at Buckley Hall Prison.

During searches, Haq Nawaz's cell was found to contain a chain inscribed with the letter 'E' for Elle. Both women exchanged hundreds of messages with the inmates, swapped gifts and money, and wore jewelry bearing each other's initials. Gascoyne also created images of Dil Nawaz on her phone, superimposing her own face alongside his.

IMAGE6 Fellow prison officer Elle Walton, 27, was given a 13-month sentence after she pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office over a relationship with Haq Nawaz

IMAGE3 Elle Walton (pictured) was told that her offending 'strikes at the heart of the public faith in the prison system' by a judge as he jailed her

Sentences and Impact

Both Gascoyne and Walton pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office. The Nawaz brothers each admitted to encouraging and assisting in misconduct in public office and possessing a mobile phone in prison. They were each ordered to serve an additional 12 months in jail.

Dil Nawaz is serving a 12-year sentence, and Haq Nawaz is serving 13 years and ten months. They were convicted in September 2023 for heading an organized crime group that distributed crack cocaine and heroin. Dil Nawaz was sentenced in August 2026 to 16 months in prison. Walton was sentenced to 13 months. Judge Recorder Ben Lawrence stated that the sentences were necessary to act as a deterrent, emphasizing that betraying public trust "strikes at the heart of the public faith in the prison system."

IMAGE4 Police issue mugshot of Jai Gascoyne who was jailed for 16 months after she pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in public office

IMAGE7 Gascoyne sent a gushing Valentine's Day card to inmate Dil Nawaz - who is serving a 12-year sentence - pledging: 'Waiting is a sign of true love and patience'