Birmingham Live
·Aug 2026
Prison guards sent Valentine's cards and gifts to gangster brothers behind bars
Prison officers Jai Gascoyne and Elle Walton were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court after admitting inappropriate relationships with jailed drug traffickers Dil and Haq Nawaz at HMP Buckley Hall. Evidence included Valentine's cards, jewellery, messages discussing love and marriage, and money received from associates of the brothers. Gascoyne received 16 months in prison and Walton 13 months, with both serving up to 40% behind bars. The Nawaz brothers, already serving lengthy sentences for a major Lancashire crack cocaine and heroin operation, received an additional year each for encouraging misconduct and possessing prohibited prison items. Investigators said the officers deliberately concealed their relationships, undermining prison security and public trust.