Two former Derbyshire Constabulary call handlers who accessed and shared confidential information about their criminal partners have been sentenced to prison. Ellie-Mae Doherty, 22, from Ripley, was jailed for 11 months after admitting misconduct in a public office, while Jessica Fitzhugh, 22, from Belper, received a four-month sentence for unauthorised access to computer material.
Court hearing and sentencing
The sentences were handed down on Thursday following a two-day hearing at Leicester Crown Court. Judge Timothy Spencer KC described the pair as "naïve" 19-year-olds whom he "loosely" called "girlfriends of two undesirable young men".
He said: "Regrettably and for reasons that now you will find impossible to rationalise, you both flaunted the clear training, the clear direction and the clear guidelines you were given by the Derbyshire Police."
Details of the offences
Fitzhugh joined the force in January 2023 as a call handler and later a dispatcher, and recommended Doherty, who started as a call handler in September 2023. Both had signed declarations stating they had no contacts "engaged in criminal activities".
Prosecutor Helen Rodger said each woman had a sexual relationship with men involved in crime and should have recognised these as "disclosable associations".
In December 2023, Doherty accessed details of an incident, a brawl in which a man had broken a window, and passed the information to Robbie Braddock, with whom she was reportedly in a relationship. On March 6, 2024, she accessed details about a search warrant and shared it with the same man, also checking who was in custody at Ripley custody suite.
Fitzhugh looked up incidents in spring 2024 out of "idle curiosity", the judge said.
Background and impact
The two women met while working at McDonald's before joining the force. Judge Spencer noted their friendship may not have survived the case, saying: "I have little doubt that it will haunt you for the rest of your days."
In mitigation, Elizabeth Power, defending Fitzhugh, cited her "lack of awareness" about the severity of the breaches. Lowri Butterworth, for Doherty, said her client was "acutely aware" and had been using her time to "give back" to her community.
Both women were charged in April following an investigation led by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
