A senior detective from North Wales Police is standing trial accused of illegally accessing police computer systems to view records concerning a nightclub bouncer friend and three women.
The Allegations Unfold in Court
Detective Inspector Emma Gardner, aged 46, allegedly accessed police records without authorisation on 47 separate occasions over a nine-month period between January and September 2022. The prosecution at Caernarfon Crown Court claims the officer, who works in the Protecting Vulnerable Persons Unit, first accessed an 'occurrence' report outside her area of responsibility in January 2022, which 'set the tone for that which follows'.
Prosecutor Andrew Scott told jurors the case involves Gardner's relationship with Simon Acton, whom she met while he was working as a doorman in Rhyl. The court heard messages between the pair discussing an ongoing harassment investigation involving Mr Acton, Stacy Roberts, Sarah Davies and Rhian Chalk.
Relationship Under Scrutiny
Mr Scott directly addressed the nature of Gardner's relationship with Mr Acton, stating: 'You will need to determine whether DI Gardner's relationship with Simon Acton was merely platonic or whether it was more than that.' The prosecutor emphasised that Gardner had failed to declare her association with Mr Acton as required by police regulations.
Jurors heard that during their communications about the harassment investigation, Gardner sent Mr Acton a message stating: 'I have my uses.' The prosecution presented evidence showing Gardner had examined a police file being prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service regarding Ms Roberts, which revealed how police discovered Ms Roberts had sent some text messages to herself in an attempt to implicate Sarah Davies.
Investigation and Defence
The court learned that police became aware of the allegations against Gardner on September 22, 2022, with evidence described as painting a 'compelling picture'. The investigation was reportedly sparked by claims from Rhian Chalk that someone was sending her partner, Sarah Davies, messages from a fake Facebook profile suggesting Ms Chalk was unhappy in their relationship.
Mobile phone records presented in court showed Gardner's number stored in Mr Acton's phone under the contact name 'Emma G.', and evidence indicated they had discussed the ongoing harassment probe. When advised of the anti-corruption investigation in November 2022, Gardner maintained that any time she viewed records, 'it was done for a policing purpose'.
Mr Scott acknowledged that Gardner accepts accessing the police records management system on every occasion contained within the audit, but told jurors: 'The issue for your determination is whether each and every access was unauthorised.' Gardner denies all charges of unauthorised computer access. The trial continues.
