A former serving police officer is facing multiple charges of unauthorised computer access to computer material and unlawfully obtaining personal data.
Sam Williams (33) whose address was given as PSNI Headquarters at Knock Road in Belfast is alleged to have committed the offences on various dates between June 9, 2020 and May 31, 2021.
Although the circumstances of the case are not fully known, the case which is currently before Armagh Magistrates’ Court alleges four counts of causing a computer to perform a function with intent to secure access to a program or data or to enable any such access to be secured.
There are similarly four counts of knowingly or recklessly and without the consent of the data controller, obtaining or disclosing personal data or the information contained in personal data.
Two of these charges relate to information held on two women, while the remainder refer to entries and associated records of occurrences and personal data in respect of a criminal incident, which allegedly occurred in May 2021, although the details of it are unknown.
It is understood Williams was based in Armagh PSNI Station at the time of the alleged offending.
The PSNI was asked to clarify his current employment status and a spokesperson replied, “The individual is no longer employed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.”
