Policewoman pleads guilty to accessing secret data

Published on Friday 1 May 2009 19:11

A POLICEWOMAN working in Edinburgh, has pleaded guilty to illegally accessing information about dozens of people on the Lothian and Borders police computers.

Hong Kong-born Constable Anna Wong, who worked at the St Leonard's police station, pleaded guilty yesterday to searching for details of dozens of people on police computers at Edinburgh Sheriff's Court.

Sheriff Elizabeth Harvey said the actions of the police officer, which contravened the Data Protection Act were 'shocking'.

Constable Wong was accused of using the Scottish Intelligence Database and the Lothian and Borders Operational Support System to obtain personal details of Chinese people living in Scotland for over 15 months.

She was first charged with 54 offences of contravening the data protection act but the number was reduced in court to 27.

The 26-year-old is suspended and may face a misconduct hearing over the offences, which took place between March 2006 and June 2007.

In her defence lawyers argued she had illegally accessed the information from police computers but had done so merely for her own reasons and had not passed on or sold any of the information to any other person.

The case was suspended.