Police officer denies data breaches

A SENIOR police officer will stand trial on charges she illegally accessed police computers to obtain private information.

Inspector Allison Strachan,49, will appear on four charges alleging she breached the Data Protection Act at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March 2012.

Strachan’s lawyer Robbie Burnett entered not guilty pleas to the allegations following a hearing at the city’s sheriff court today.

The solicitor entered the pleas after a hearing which was called to debate legal issues surrounding the case.

After proceedings, depute fiscal Ruth Ross-Davie agreed to withdraw a charge alleging that Strachan attempted to pervert the course of justice on various occasions at a number of police stations between October 2006 and September 2009.

Strachan, of Edinburgh, now faces charges which allege that she illegally accessed top secret databases at various police stations in the Lothian and Borders force area between November 2006 and May 2010.

She was not present in court today.

Sheriff Fiona Reith QC fixed Strachan’s trial for March 2012. A preliminary hearing will be held at the court in February 2012.