A prison officer has been jailed for six months after sending photos of herself dressed in lingerie to a violent inmate she was supposed to be guarding.
Glamorous Heather Pinchbeck, 28, who has since left the service, had pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office over sending the sexualised images to the prisoner who had been jailed for a machete attack.
Pinchbeck had also made a series of secret phone calls as well as exchanging SMS texts with thug Joseph Hardy, 31 after meeting him while working, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
The single mother, who had just ended a relationship with a boyfriend when she met Hardy, also sent the prisoner raunchy photos of herself while he was locked up at HMP Dovegate.
She was told today by a judge that ‘her stupidity’ could have put her at ‘risk of blackmail and exploitation.’
Her Honour Judge Sarah Buckingham told the defendant her actions had also ‘damaged public confidence in the judicial system’.
She added: ‘You let down yourself and your prison colleagues.’
It is understood Hardy, who against prison rules was in possession of two mobile devices at the time, may have later shared the sexual images of Pinchbeck with other inmates.
Pinchbeck had been a Prison Custody Officer at the Category B male jail in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, at the time of the offence – over a three-week period between February 15, 2023 and March 04, 2023.
She was helping to guard Hardy, who had been jailed for a horrific machete assault in which the victim lost a leg and suffered a fractured skull.
Prosecutor Antonie Muller told the court that Pinchbeck – who has a daughter, now aged four – had separated from her partner and was feeling ‘vulnerable’ and enjoyed the attention Hardy lavished on her.
The pair had exchanged texts.
She was challenged about the use of a mobile phone with a prisoner on February 27 that year and escorted from the premises.
She resigned from her job which she had held for 10 months, but was not arrested until January 5, 2024, when two phones were recovered.
In her summing up of the case, Judge Buckingham said one of the devices showed screenshots the defendant had sent to Hardy of herself ‘wearing red lingerie and with her breasts exposed.’
She said: ‘There were three images you had sent prisoner Hardy, and there were mobile phone texts and WhatsApp messages between you both.’
The judge said it appeared that on the first device ‘Hardy must have shared it with a fellow prisoner’ and that it ‘may have been passed among the prison population’.
Blond-haired Pinchbeck, who has now carved out a successful new career after quitting the prison service, is one of a number of female prison officers who have lost their jobs after they shared text messages with offenders or had illegal relationships with them.
Pinchbeck from Drakelow, Staffordshire pleased guilty to one count of making illegal mobile communication with a prisoner.
She is charged with misconduct in a public office: Between February 15, 2023 and March 4, 2023, while acting as a public officer, namely a Prison Custody Officer, wilfully misconducted herself by communicating with a prisoner using an illicit device, namely a mobile phone.
Pinchbeck’s defence lawyer Elizabeth Power said that her client had ‘enjoyed some attention’ Hardy had been giving her after having had a ‘very difficult relationship’.
She added: ‘She was vulnerable and there were no previous breaches in her work ethic, and the communication between herself and this prisoner only lasted a matter of two to three weeks.’
The court heard that Pincbeck was a single ‘devoted mother’ living with her parents, brother and child at the family home, and juggling work and looking after her daughter who was her ‘main priority’.
Her lawyer urged the judge to consider a suspended custodial sentence as she had pleaded guilty to her credit, and was of previous good character.
She said: ‘She accepts it was wrong and she is ashamed of what she has done.’
Ms Power said that Pinchbeck had been working in her latest job for three years.
She said: ‘Despite her mental health issues she has been able to carve out a worthwhile career at a company where she is highly regarded.’
The judge told her: ‘As a prison custody officer who came to the attention of Hardy, you were aware of this inappropriate relationship, and how wrong it was, and what you did was a gross breach of position, and your conduct has serious consequences.
‘You know Hardy illegally had access to one phone and you didn’t report it to authorities and you sent him compromising images which could have put you at risk of blackmail or exploitation.
‘You made a foolish decision. You are riddled with shame and you feel mortified. But you are an intelligent woman.
‘Prison staff have a duty to prisoners to behave in a trustworthy manner.’
The judge said her ‘offending exposes weaknesses in the prison system’.
She continued: ‘But your contact was over a limited period, and no injury was caused.
‘Your conduct was out of character. You were vulnerable after leaving an abusive relationship.
‘I accept that it is highly likely that you will offend again.’
The court was told that the defendant had feared a mental breakdown and had sought advice from her doctor.
She had written a personal letter of apology to the court, and among supporters in the public gallery was a colleague from her company, who had commended her work ethos.
The judge praised Pinchbeck for ‘turning her life around and having a worthwhile career and building a brighter and positive future for you and your child’.
In sentencing her the judge said: ‘I have no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence of six months.
‘You have 25 per cent credit for a guilty plea and you will be released halfway through your sentence.
‘It is not a sentence I pass without careful thought and consideration.
‘Six months – take her down.’
Pinchbeck previously declined to discuss the case after she was freed on bail after her plea hearing in October 2025, simply saying: ‘They have to do what they have to do.’
The defendant, who has previously posted a number of alluring selfies on social media, now works as a business management executive for MIH Group
She cites her previous role within the Prison Service as having given her a ‘wealth of knowledge and expertise in administrative practices’.
Pinchbeck has been praised by her new employer – who is aware of her criminal case – for being ‘always eager to take on new challenges and drive success’.
In online postings, they laud the business administration diploma graduate who ‘spent her early career working for HM Prison Service as a Prison Offender Manager’.
They state: ‘Her role encompassed managing caseloads, creating sentencing plans and managing prolific offenders, the single point of contact for Staffordshire Police.’
In praise of Pinchbeck, the post continues: ‘She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in administrative practices to MIH, where her responsibilities include ISO compliance, governance, office management and client support.
‘Heather is passionate about applying her skills to business development, always eager to take on new challenges and drive success.’
Hardy is serving a 14-year sentence after severing a defenceless man’s left leg in an attack in broad daylight.
Manchester Crown Court heard during his trial in 2017 that Hardy had been involved in a dispute with the victim when he retrieved the machete from his car, unsheathed it and then used it as a weapon.
The leg was all but severed at the scene and doctors amputated it above the knee six days later.
An MRI scan also revealed the man had suffered a fractured skull.
Hardy was subsequently charged with illicit communications with a prison officer, which a recent court hearing had indicated he would be pleading guilty to.
