Pc admits he snooped on personal data

A POLICEMAN admitted snooping through the force computer and obtaining personal data about various people.

Pc Adrian Merron, 46, was due to face trial on a total of 58 charges yesterday under the Data Protection Act 1998 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. But he admitted ten charges and the Crown accepted his not guilty plea to the others.

Six of the charges were viewing records containing information relating to crimes of public indecency at various locations in Edinburgh, one charge was looking at a domestic incident, another related to a drunk male, another was about intelligence on a female involved in prostitution. The last charge was the accused logging on to view an incident which related to a sexual assault on a female bus passenger in Edinburgh.

Merron admitted ten charges of obtaining personal data without the consent of the data controller, the chief constable, at Dalkeith Police Station between November 27, 2007, and December 15, 2007.

Sheriff McIntyre adjourned the case until later this month to consider the sentence.