A Merseyside Police sergeant who repeatedly accessed confidential police intelligence to check up on associates linked to serious criminality has avoided an immediate prison sentence. Daniel Hughes, 40, was handed a suspended jail term at Manchester Crown Court after being convicted of eight counts of unauthorised access to computer material and three counts of disclosing personal data. The court heard Hughes used restricted police systems over a five-year period to access information concerning people with whom he had developed close personal relationships. Some of the men were linked to serious criminality, including drug trafficking, firearms offences and EncroChat-related investigations. Judge Alan Conrad KC told Hughes he had become “far too close” to serious criminals.
Holidays and race days with associates
Jurors heard Hughes socialised with some of the men, went on holidays and race days with them and participated in WhatsApp groups. Despite those relationships, he failed to properly declare the associations to Merseyside Police. Hughes accessed confidential information relating to individuals including Steven Noone, Phillip Lam, Anthony Harrison and Frederick Connolly. The material included incident logs, Police National Computer entries and information relating to ongoing investigations. Prosecutors said information obtained through the searches was also disclosed to others, representing a serious breach of the trust placed in Hughes as a serving police officer. The judge accepted Hughes had not accessed the information for financial gain but characterised his conduct as an arrogant misuse of police systems.
Previous bravery did not excuse misconduct
The court was also told about Hughes’s previous service as a police officer, including incidents in which he had been stabbed in 2016 and attacked with a bottle in 2019. However, the judge made clear his previous bravery could not excuse his subsequent misconduct or the breach of trust involved. Hughes was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation activity days, with financial penalties totalling £750. Merseyside Police subsequently dismissed Hughes following misconduct proceedings. The Crown Prosecution Service said the former sergeant had abused his position as a police officer, stressing that members of the public must be able to trust officers who are given access to confidential and sensitive information. The case raises further questions about police integrity and the risks posed when officers develop undeclared relationships with people involved in serious criminality.
