Two former Derbyshire Constabulary call handlers have been jailed for abusing their positions to access personal details about their criminal boyfriends. Ellie-Mae Doherty, 22, from Ripley, and Jessica Fitzhugh, 22, from Belper, worked in the force's control room.
Doherty pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office after admitting passing information from police systems to a man linked to crime and failing to inform the force of her personal association with him. Fitzhugh denied misconduct in public office but pleaded guilty to computer misuse after admitting unauthorised access to information on police systems and taking photographs of material held on those systems without permission.
Sentencing at Leicester Crown Court
Doherty was jailed for 11 months and Fitzhugh was handed a four-month prison term following a hearing at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday, September 3. Both women were charged in April following an investigation directed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The charges followed conduct referrals by the force to the IOPC in December 2023 and March 2024. The IOPC decided the allegations needed investigating and that it was appropriate for the investigation to be carried out by the force's Counter Corruption Unit under the direction and control of the IOPC.
Details of the offences
Prosecuting, Helen Rodger said each had a sexual relationship with men involved in crime and should have known that these were "disclosable associations". The first time Doherty accessed information about an incident and passed it on to Robbie Braddock, with whom she was said to be in a relationship, was in December 2023, roughly two months after she completed her control room training. Doherty shared details about the incident, a fight in which another male had smashed a window, with Braddock.
Ms Rodger said a second incident involving Doherty on March 6 2024 saw her access details about a search warrant being executed and pass on details about it to the same man. Doherty viewed the details of the incident several times before also checking who was in custody at Ripley custody suite. Fitzhugh, who was also said to be in a relationship with a man with a criminal record, looked up incidents in spring 2024, out of what the judge called "idle curiosity".
The two women, who met while both working at McDonald's before starting with the force, sat apart in the dock and were accompanied in court by their families. Defending Fitzhugh, Elizabeth Power said that she had a "lack of awareness" about the "severity of the breaches that she made". Lowri Butterworth, for Doherty, told the court that she was "acutely aware" and had been using her time since to "give back" to her community.
Judge's remarks and force response
In sentencing, Judge Timothy Spencer KC called them "naive" 19-year-olds whom he "loosely" described as "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. In your case Ellie-Mae Doherty it went further because the information you accessed was clearly passed on in two distinct ways at two distinct times."
Fitzhugh started working at the force in January 2023, aged 19, as a call handler and then a dispatcher, before referring her friend Doherty for a job, who joined as a call handler in September 2023, the court heard. Both women went through "intense" vetting and were required to read and sign declarations saying that they had no contacts who were "engaged in criminal activities".
Judge Spencer speculated that maybe their "friendship has not survived this case" and said "I have little doubt that it will haunt you for the rest of your days". He said: "It's impossible to recognise the young women who I read about, with such positive qualities, in the women who committed these offences."
Derbyshire Police said a misconduct hearing for Doherty and Fitzhugh will now take place following their convictions. Speaking after the case, Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Michelle Shooter said: "Police officers and staff are given access to extremely sensitive information in order to keep our communities safe. The public put their trust in us and expect that we will use that information for the appropriate reasons. Both Jessica Fitzhugh and Ellie-Mae Doherty breached the trust and have faced the consequences of their actions."
The force worked closely with the Independent Office for Police Conduct to carry out the investigation into Fitzhugh and Doherty following a conduct referral to the IOPC by the force. Shooter added: "The case reinforces the clear responsibilities that officers and staff have – and that the force will take action against those who break the law and breach the standards of conduct that are expected of them."
