A judge has warned two Derbyshire police call handlers that they are "looking at prison sentences" after they admitted accessing restricted material on police computer systems and other offenses. Ellie-Mae Doherty, 22, pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office for accessing confidential material and leaking it to third parties, as well as failing to disclose associations with individuals involved in criminality to her employers.
Her co-accused, Jessica Fitzhugh, also 22, pleaded guilty to accessing unauthorized material on the police computer system, admitting to taking images of data without authority. Fitzhugh denied the charge of misconduct in public office.
Both women, described as contact management operators, worked in the force control room and committed the offenses between 2023 and 2024. His Honour Judge Timothy Spencer KC told them at Leicester Crown Court that their actions constituted "serious criminal offending" and that they should not be under "any illusions" about the likelihood of a custodial sentence.
"You are both in an extremely serious position," Judge Spencer stated. "I am quite sure that your training made plain to you that you should not have done what you did."
Both defendants, who were accompanied by their parents for the hearing, were granted unconditional bail. Their sentencing is scheduled for August 28. The pair were charged following referrals by Derbyshire Police to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in December 2023 and March 2024. An investigation by the force's Counter Corruption Unit, under IOPC direction, led to the charges. Both Doherty and Fitzhugh have been suspended from their roles.
