A prison officer at HMP Styal in Cheshire has been spared jail after grooming a young female inmate and taking her for three days of drink-fuelled sex at a Premier Inn on the day of her release. Daniel Hay, 47, began exchanging messages with convicted arsonist Sophie Stonehewer after they struck up a rapport on Valentine's Day 2024 while he was supposed to be supervising her, and he later booked time off work to be with her once she was freed. The case is significant because it involves a serving prison officer abusing his position of trust over a vulnerable inmate, breaching her licence conditions and ultimately leading to her recall to custody.

Hay picked Stonehewer up hours after her release on 4 April, bought her whiskey and cola, checked into a hotel where they had sex, and later gave her £100 for clothes, despite her licence requiring her to stay at approved accommodation in Preston. He initially lied to police, denying any sexual contact and falsely accusing her of blackmail, before CCTV and messages forced him to admit the truth. Hay, who had prior convictions for dangerous driving and criminal damage when hired, has since lost his job and now works as a lorry driver; he received a suspended sentence at Chester Crown Court after pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office.