July 5th 2024.
Stephanie Heaps, a 32-year-old woman, recently received a four-year jail sentence for her involvement in a rather shocking crime. As an ex-police officer, she had married a prisoner named Leon 'Layton' Ramsden, who was already serving a life sentence for murder in HMP Wymott. It was revealed that Heaps had helped Ramsden smuggle drugs into the prison, which ultimately led to her own downfall.
Ramsden had been sentenced to a minimum of 17 years in prison back in 2010 for killing a man named Paul Gilligan at a pub in Bolton. However, Heaps and Ramsden's relationship began in March 2018 when she took a job as a prison officer at HMP Wymott. Little did anyone know, this would be the start of a dangerous alliance.
Heaps would often warn Ramsden about upcoming cell searches and, with the help of a group of associates, would also assist in laundering money from his drug empire. In fact, she had even received £3,000 from his £12,700 drug profits. To make matters worse, Heaps joined the Greater Manchester Police as a police constable in July 2019, but failed to disclose her connection to Ramsden. She even went as far as to neglect her duties by not arresting a wanted domestic abuse suspect, who happened to be associated with Ramsden.
It wasn't until September 2019 that their relationship was discovered by authorities, thanks to a tip-off. It was revealed that Heaps would regularly visit Ramsden in prison and share sensitive police information with him through illegal phones. This ultimately led to her arrest in January 2020. In October 2022, Heaps pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including misconduct in a public office as both a police and prison officer, conspiracy to commit burglary, and conspiracy to transfer, conceal, and convert criminal property.
Ramsden, on the other hand, received a sentence of five years and seven months, to be served concurrently with his existing murder sentence. Detective Chief Inspector Jennifer Adams of GMP's Anti-Corruption Unit expressed her shock at Heaps' actions and praised the investigation team for gathering enough evidence to hold her accountable for her crimes. It was clear that Heaps was not fit to serve the public and her actions had consequences.
Alan Richardson, senior crown prosecutor for CPS North West, also commented on Heaps' position of trust as a prison and police officer, and how her actions had compromised her role. He further added that the CPS worked closely with GMP to build a strong case, which ultimately led to Heaps accepting her guilt. As a result, she now faces the consequences of her actions.
In addition to Heaps, four others from Bolton were also sentenced in relation to this case. Philip Markland received a 22-month sentence for conspiracy to commit burglary, while Lee Ramsden was sentenced to 15 months, suspended for 18 months, for conspiracy to transfer, conceal, and convert criminal property. Clifford McCarthy received a 15-month suspended sentence for the same charge, along with 200 hours of community service and 10 rehabilitation days. Joanne Campbell was also sentenced to 13 months, suspended for 18 months, and referred to support services for conspiracy to transfer, conceal, and convert criminal property. All of them were involved in aiding Ramsden's illegal activities, showing the extent of his influence even from behind bars.
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