A civilian police CCTV operator who used his force's camera system to stalk his former partner in what a judge described as an 'insidious' campaign has been spared an immediate jail term.
'Jekyll and Hyde' Character Used Police Systems to Control Partner
Russell Hasler, 43, a former CCTV operator at Dyfed-Powys Police's Carmarthen headquarters, received a 17-month suspended prison sentence for engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour against his ex-partner, Stacey Joy. The court heard how Hasler, described as a 'Jekyll and Hyde-type character', used his position to track Ms Joy's movements across West Wales.
Prosecutor Bethan Evans told Swansea Crown Court that Hasler would take still pictures from live CCTV footage of Ms Joy and send them to her, even captioning one with the word 'stalked'. He also photographed Ms Joy's mother and sent the image, demanding to know where she was going. Ms Evans stated the victim found this behaviour 'creepy' and became increasingly reluctant to socialise, feeling she was constantly being followed.
Unlawful Database Access and Coercive Control During Pandemic
The court learned that Hasler's campaign extended beyond CCTV surveillance. He repeatedly and unlawfully accessed the police intelligence database, known as 'Storm logs', sharing details of ongoing incidents and police investigations with Ms Joy. He also accessed information about her previous police contact and incidents involving her neighbours.
The controlling relationship began in 2019, and the couple have a six-year-old daughter. Ms Joy planned to leave but was forced to remain during the strict COVID-19 travel restrictions imposed by the Welsh Labour government under then-First Minister Mark Drakeford. Friends of Ms Joy branded Hasler a 'monster' who 'controlled Stacey day and night' and wouldn't permit her to see friends or go to work.
Suspended Sentence and Lasting Trauma
Following the relationship's end, Hasler accessed police logs to find information about Ms Joy's new partner, whom she has since married. He was arrested in October 2023 by officers from his own force's professional standards department and resigned while under investigation.
In a victim impact statement, Ms Joy, now 33, detailed suffering from 'chronic anxiety'. She said, 'There were times when the emotional pain, torment and relentlessness of the abuse became so overwhelming that I questioned whether I could carry on.'
Hasler, of Llandysul, Ceredigion, pleaded guilty to engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour and to a breach of data protection laws. A pre-sentence report noted he accepted he had been 'showing off his power and importance'.
Sentencing on Monday, Judge Huw Rees said Hasler mounted a 'cunning plan' to control Ms Joy and misused his position 'to satisfy your paranoia and or insecurity'.
Despite the 'horrendous behaviour', Hasler was sentenced to 17 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He was ordered to complete a rehabilitation course and 180 hours of unpaid work, and received a £500 fine for the data breach. The court heard he has a new partner, to whom he is engaged and who is nine weeks pregnant.
DC Simon Reynolds of the Dyfed-Powys Police Professional Standards Department called Hasler's actions a 'betrayal of the standards the public should rightly expect'. One of Ms Joy's friends, reacting to the sentence, said it was a 'kick in the teeth' and questioned, 'Where's the justice?'
