A Tayside Police worker from Dundee has been suspended after admitting that she accessed hundreds of private records of friends and family over a nine-year period and texted the information to her son.
Heather Fairfield (48) now faces the sack from her job as a public inquiry station assistant in Dundee after admitting texting ”gossip and tittle tattle” on police cases and warrant matters to son Dale and others between 2001 and 2010.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard on Thursday that Fairfield who was fined £1,000 for breaching the Data Protection Act had accessed records of friends and family on an ”extraordinary number of occasions” with no official reason.
Fairfield, of Cox Gardens, had admitted accessing 653 records relating to 61 different people at Downfield police station between June 19 2001 and June 24 2010, and passing or causing to be passed information to Dale Fairfield and others.
The court heard an anonymous phone tip-off saying a female member of staff based at Downfield was passing on information had led officers to Fairfield, who had joined the force in 1998.
Depute fiscal Ross Cargill said: ”As part of her duties she had access to computer systems operated by Tayside Police. These systems included warrants information and details of all custody cases.
”A detective sergeant made further inquiries and, as a result of the accused fitting the general description of the person suspected of passing on the information, he carried out audits of her access to the systems.
”The search revealed that Fairfield had accessed records of friends and family on an extraordinary number of occasions without any obvious policing purpose.”
Fairfield initially denied passing on information and said any access had been for work purposes. At a later interview she admitted disclosing information to her son.
George Donnelly, defending, said: ”It is a matter of fact she did not have the level of clearance to see future police operations. A lot of the texts are, in effect, gossip and tittle tattle.”
Mr Donnelly said his client had been suspended from the force since July 2010 and her union had told her she would not be returning to Tayside Police.
A spokeswoman for the force said: ”We acknowledge the verdict of the court today and the matter has been referred to the head of human resources for further consideration.
”It is not appropriate to comment any further at this time other than to say a 48-year-old is currently suspended from duty.”
George McIrvine, Dundee branch secretary for Fairfield’s union Unison, said he thought the court fine was ”harsh”. He added: ”When you look at data protection issues, court disposals are all over the place.”