Gloucestershire officer sentenced after accessing personal data
A court heard the officer used the police systems to access the data and then send to a friend
A former police officers with Gloucestershire Constabulary has been sentenced after accessing sensitive personal data about three individuals on a work computer.
Worcester Crown Court heard Megan McMurray, who was a constable at the police headquarters in Quedgeley at the time of the offence in 2022, used the police crime database to access sensitive personal information about three individuals, which she then shared with a friend who worked at a local company.
The data related to potential employees and a current member of staff at the company.
Images from the police database and information shared by McMurray in text message were recovered from her mobile phone.
After being found to have committed misconduct in public office, she was sentenced on Thursday 30 May 2024 to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 2 years, and 200 hours unpaid work. She had at an earlier hearing pleaded guilty.
Stephen Sadler of the CPS said: “The public rightly expects police officers to uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.
“Megan McMurray fell far below that standard and abused her trusted position as a public servant.
“The CPS and police teams worked closely together to build a strong case against McMurray, who was left with no option but to plead guilty. She is now facing the consequences of her actions through a criminal record and the sentence imposed today.”