Leicestershire special constable charged with misconduct in public office

Alleged offences include nine counts of unauthorised computer access

Author: Gavin RutterPublished 30th Jul 2024

A Leicestershire Police special constable is due to appear in court over allegations he shared images and information from police systems and from incidents he attended.

William Heggs, 23, has been charged with offences including misconduct in public office, following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Other charges include nine offences of unauthorised computer access, contrary to Section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990; and three offences of unlawfully obtaining/disclosing personal data, contrary to Section 170 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

He is due to appear before Leicester Magistrates Court tomorrow.

The alleged offences took place between January 2021 and November 2021.

The IOPC began its investigation in November 2021 following a mandatory conduct referral from Leicestershire Police. It says a file of evidence has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service who authorised the charges.

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