A Nottinghamshire Police staff member has been jailed for six years after admitting child cruelty offences involving a nine-year-old boy who was in her care.

Catherine Walker, 47, who is also known as Kathryn, was the boy’s legal guardian when he was found unresponsive in his bedroom at a property in Warsop on 16 December 2024.

The child was taken to hospital but later died.

An investigation by Nottinghamshire Police subsequently uncovered evidence that the boy had been subjected to mistreatment over a prolonged period.

Officers found his bedroom contained very little furniture and had no radiator, blinds or curtains.

Police said there was no internal door handle and a bathroom-style lock had been fitted to the outside of the bedroom.

Walker pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting or abandoning a child or young person to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.

She was sentenced to six years in prison at Nottingham Crown Court.

Walker was employed by Nottinghamshire Police at the time of the offences and was suspended throughout the investigation.

During mitigation, Walker’s former husband — who died shortly after the boy’s death — was described as the child’s primary carer and as having been mainly responsible for his treatment.

Detective Chief Inspector Gail Routledge said the boy had been “very clearly mistreated for a significant period of time” and had been forced to live in conditions no child should have had to endure.

The offences to which Walker pleaded guilty relate to the treatment of the child. The information released does not state that Walker was convicted of causing his death.