A nosey PA to the Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner has been handed a £3,000 fine for snooping on force computers to view case details of people she knew.
Amy Evans joined Nottinghamshire Police as a clerical assistant in October 2005, before being promoted to the position of Paddy Tipping’s PA in April 2013.
But Nottingham magistrates court heard how noseyness got the better of her when she heard about two incidents at the Navigation pub in Newark, where she used to work as a part-time barmaid, and about a dispute at the Affordable Fitness Centre in the town.
Her barrister claimed Evans had a “naive curiosity” but had not passed on the information to any third parties, although magistrates said her actions – relating to the period from 2010 to 2014 – were a “repeated abuse of trust”.
She was fined at total of £2,900 – £300 for her first offence, £400 for the second, £500 for the third, £600 for the fourth, and £1,000 for the fifth, which magistrate Petter Walters said was the most serious due to her being in a position of responsibility. She was suspended from her post in June 2014 and now faces disciplinary action.
Walters told her: “You should have realised the importance of data protection. It is a huge abuse of trust for which you will now have to pay highly for.”
A police spokeswoman said: “The use of force systems and the information they contain is a privilege and one that Amy Evans abused. She has been put before the courts, admitted her guilt and will now have to pay compensation for her actions.”
