Officers face prosecution over porn pictures leak
Police chief condemns men who claimed to have found sexual images stored on MP’S office computer
FORMER police officers who made public claims against Damian Green could be prosecuted, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said.
Cressida Dick condemned the behaviour of former Scotland Yard officers Neil Lewis and Bob Quick after they made allegations in public about pornography being found on the MP’S computer during a police raid in 2008 regarding a separate matter.
Her intervention came after Mr Lewis, the detective who examined computers seized from the First Secretary of State’s office, said the evidence he found left him in “no doubt whatsoever” that it was Mr Green who had accessed the pornographic material.
The retired officer said he had decided to speak out in support of Mr Quick, his former boss, after Mr Green ridiculed similar claims made by the former Met assistant commissioner.
Speaking to LBC radio, Ms Dick said: “Police officers have a duty of confidentiality. We come into contact with personal information very regularly, sometimes extremely sensitive.
“This is a daily occurrence for any officer. We all know that we have a duty to protect that information and to keep it confidential. In my view, that duty endures. It endures after you leave the service, so I believe that what this officer and, indeed, other retired officers, appears to have done, is wrong.”
She said that if anything emerges during an internal investigation, the former officers could face prosecution.
“My professional standards department will be reviewing what has happened … and if any offences are disclosed, we will investigate them,” she said.
Asked if the officers could face prosecution, she replied: “Undoubtedly, if offences have been disclosed and that can be proved, it would be a matter for
‘Police officers have a duty of confidentiality’ that endures’
the Crown Prosecution Service, but there could be a prosecution.”
On Sunday night, it emerged that Mr Green handed evidence to a Cabinet inquiry showing pornography had been found on other parliamentary computers without being downloaded or watched by staff.
The Cabinet minister, who also faces claims he made unwanted advances towards a woman and watched porn at work, has handed the evidence to Sue Gray, a civil servant who heads a parliamentary ethics team and who is investigating the claims made against him.
Theresa May is understood to have been told what the investigation into Mr Green is likely to find, but has, so far, not taken action on the issue. The raid on Mr Green’s office nine years ago ended with his arrest under the Official Secrets Act while shadow immigration minister. It followed a series of leaks to the Tories about Labour Government policy. David Cameron, party leader at the time, accused Labour of “Stalinesque” behaviour.