A Merseyside Police sergeant who was injured in the line of duty has been given a suspended sentence after living a double life with EncroChat criminals.
Temporary Sergeant Daniel Hughes, 40, a 20-year veteran, was convicted of unauthorised computer access and disclosing personal data. He had long-standing friendships with serious criminals and failed to declare them.
Holidays and Race Meetings with Criminals
Hughes socialised with individuals involved in serious organised crime, going on trips abroad and attending racecourses. He accessed intelligence reports about their activities but did not disclose the contents to them, nor did he gain financially.
However, he shared snippets of information about other active cases in a WhatsApp group chat.
Court Proceedings
At Manchester Crown Court, prosecutor Laura Barbour said Hughes used the police national computer and Merseyside Police's internal network to conduct repeated unauthorised searches between 2016 and 2021.
He searched for people including Steven Noone, Phillip Lam, Anthony Harrison and Frederick Connolly. Hughes accessed intelligence reports on Noone, who was under investigation for a large-scale fraud operation involving stolen credit cards.
He also examined an intelligence log about Noone laundering a cannabis farm and searched the criminal's partner and her family members. In a WhatsApp group chat, he asked a senior CPS prosecutor, "guess how much Noone's [proceeds of crime] confiscation is", before revealing "just over a mill".
Links to EncroChat Handles
Hughes ran searches for Lam, who was later identified as the EncroChat user "WearyDog", trafficking drugs. He also accessed the profile of Harrison, linked to "WalkTheDog", and evidence from Hughes' phone helped connect Harrison, later convicted of money laundering and drug dealing.
Hughes also searched for Connolly, who used the handle "MadeiraBlue". The court heard that Hughes performed a legitimate search on a suspect whose partner worked for the CPS, but then posted in a WhatsApp group that their life and home "oozed money".
Further Misconduct
Hughes also accessed files on Anthony O'Reilly, involved in cannabis supply, and messaged his group saying "that Tony in the gym said he's gonna get me some delivery work". The prosecutor described this as "snooping" and "gossipy" exchanges.
Hughes was arrested in March 2022, and his phone revealed his connections. Even after arrest, he continued messaging about social activities including "trips to the races".
Sentencing
Hughes was found guilty of eight counts of unauthorised access and three counts of disclosing personal data. He was dismissed from Merseyside Police after a misconduct hearing.
In mitigation, his defence said he socialised with people on the periphery of his social life, but there was no evidence of supporting them. He was a dedicated officer who suffered injuries, including a stabbing in 2016 and an assault with a broken bottle in 2019, leading to PTSD.
Judge Alan Conrad KC acknowledged Hughes did not offend for financial benefit or to assist criminals, but said, "You became far too close to these people." He described the offending as "snooping" but persistent and serious.
Hughes received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, 10 rehabilitation days, 250 hours of unpaid work, and a £750 fine.
After sentencing, Olivia Travis from the CPS said: "Daniel Hughes was a corrupt police officer who abused his position to access sensitive information. He maintained longstanding relationships with offenders involved in drugs and firearms, which he deliberately concealed despite a clear duty to declare them. Hughes received training on the proper handling of police information but chose to ignore it. His actions demonstrated a complete disregard for the trust placed in him and for the integrity of the criminal justice system. The jury has rejected his account that he was acting in the course of his duties. He has now been held accountable for his criminal conduct."
