A woman working as civilian financial crime officer has been fined after sharing police intelligence into a family WhatsApp group chat.
Sharen Gardner, 54, of Douglas, was sentenced by magistrates after admitting an offence of unlawfully obtaining personal data.
Prosecutors Sara-Jayne Dodge told that court that Police seized a mobile phone for a separate matter for which they had reason to conduct a search of the information on it.
During this investigation, they found messages in a group chat which caused concern in a group chat.
The chat contained an image showing 26 intel reports, one of which had a red circle around it, which was a case involving drug importing.
Gardner also added a comment about her address being “on there next” and later added: “I can get into trouble for sharing this.”
Access
Ms Dodge confirmed that in her role as a financial crime investigator Gardner would have been able to access the information, but she had committed an offence in sharing it with her family.
She also confirmed that in her role, Gardner was required to sign several documents that confirmed she knew the rules around data protection.
In Jest
Defence advocate Jim Travers read from a basis of plea in which Gardner said she had sent the messages “in jest” following a family conversation about a particular drug used as a sleeping aid.
She added that the message was only seen by her husband, an ex-copper, and their daughters.
Gardner, who is suspended form work, remained in post for another 11 months before officers discovered the message, which was said to be a “one-off” and a “spur of the moment indiscretion” by Mr Travers.
He added that it was a “matter of regret” the matter had resulted in court proceedings, rather than being resolved in other ways and suggested that magistrates could consider a conditional discharge that probation suggested as a possibility.
Optimistic
Chairman of the bench David Christian said that suggestion was “somewhat optimistic” and said that Garnder “knew” that she should not have shared the information.
Magistrates fined her £1,500 and ordered Gardner to pay £125 in prosecution costs.
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