A former police officer has been jailed after anti-corruption detectives uncovered her relationship with a convicted murderer from her time as a prison officer in Lancashire.
Stephanie Heaps – now known as Stephanie Ramsden – failed to declare she was in an intimate relationship with Leon ‘Layton’ Ramsden (35) – who is on a life sentence for murder – while she worked in her previous role at HMP Wymott in Leyland.
(Images show Stephanie Heaps visiting Leon ‘Layton’ Ramsden in prison)
A police investigation revealed Heaps’ levels of deceit in getting a job at the police, along with her links to an organised crime group – associated to Ramsden – which was involved in money laundering, drug dealing, and a conspiracy to burgle an address in St Helens in November 2019.
Heaps (32), who joined Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as a PC based in Bolton in July 2019, had worked as a prison officer since March 2018 before pursuing a career in the police where she did not declare any links to criminals or criminal activity.
GMP’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) was made aware of Heaps’ links to an inmate at HMP Wymott and, in September 2019, began an investigation, under supervision of the Independent Office of Police Conduct, aimed at finding evidence that corroborated the information they had been given.
Four months of tireless investigative work uncovered evidence of Heaps often visiting Leon Ramsden in prison, contacting him via illicit phones he had in his cell, and sharing sensitive police information with him.
On one occasion while on duty, Heaps failed to arrest a wanted domestic abuse suspect while responding to an incident, due to the suspect being an associate of Ramsden’s.
Heaps was arrested in January 2020 and detectives probed her with the mount of evidence that they had compiled. She gave a ‘no comment’ interview and weeks later resigned from the force.
Guilty pleas
In October 2022, Heaps pleaded guilty to:
- Misconduct in a public office as a police officer at GMP
- Misconduct in a public officer as a prison officer at HMP Wymott
- Intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence after conducting telephone conversations with Ramsden through illegal mobile phones.
- Conspiracy to commit burglary after a burglary in St Helens.
- Conspiracy to transfer, conceal and convert criminal property regarding the money laundering of Ramsden’s drugs money.
At Bolton Crown Court yesterday, Heaps was sentenced to serve four years and three months behind bars. She was also barred from policing.
Ramsden, of HMP Berwyn, was sentenced to five years and seven months, to run concurrently with his current sentence.
“Brazen disregard”
Detective chief inspector Jennifer Adams, of our Anti-Corruption Unit, said: “During our investigation, we were shocked by the actions of Stephanie Heaps and her brazen disregard for the standards required for both her roles in the police and the prison service.
“As soon as we were made aware of Heaps’ potential relationship with Ramsden, we conducted a number of detailed enquiries to ensure that the maximum amount of evidence about her offending could be collated so she could be held accountable for the full extent of her crimes.
“It’s clear Heaps should never be trusted to serve the public, and it is testament to the investigation team that she was only in uniform for a matter of months before she was taken away from frontline duties for good and now put rightly behind bars along with Ramsden and his associates.”
Also sentenced were the following people from Bolton:
- Philip Markland (40), of Bardon Close, was sentenced to 22 months for conspiracy to commit burglary at an address in St Helens.
- Lee Ramsden, (52), Bleak Street, was sentenced to 15 months suspended for 18 months, 25 rehabilitation days and a six-month home detention curfew between 7pm and 6am everyday, for conspiracy to transfer, conceal and convert criminal property.
- Clifford McCarthy (35), Larkfield Grove, was sentenced to 15 months suspended for two years, 200 hours community service and ten rehabilitation days for conspiracy to transfer, conceal and convert criminal property.
- Joanne Campbell (48), Gisburn Avenue, was sentenced to 13 months suspended for 18 months, 25 rehabilitation days and referred to support services for conspiracy to transfer, conceal and convert criminal property.
