02/04/2015

Former Police Officer Jailed For Misconduct

A former police officer has been jailed for committing misconduct in public office over a period of more than 10 years.

Simon Quinn, 43, of Horsham, West Sussex was arrested in April 2013, under Operation Elveden. He pleaded guilty at Kingston Crown Court in October 2014 to misconduct in public office and on Wednesday (1 April) he was sentenced at the Old Bailey to 18 months' imprisonment.

Quinn was a detective constable with Surrey Police. He resigned in 2011, but between 1 November 2000 and 30 January 2011, he gave information to a journalist working for a national newspaper. He was discovered to have leaked information from murder inquiries, including the investigation into the murder of Surrey teenager Milly Dowler, and also supplied details of a number of cases involving celebrities, both as victims and suspects.

Mr Quinn had received payments of at least £7,000 for the information he unlawfully supplied.

Detective Chief Superintendent Gordon Briggs, the officer in charge of Operation Elveden, said: "Quinn is the ninth police officer, and the 27th public official, to have been convicted for passing confidential information acquired in the course of their duties to journalists for financial gain.

"Trust and confidence in the police service is undermined when police officers behave in this way and the public interest is harmed. Their dishonest actions merit criminal convictions.

"It is the role of a police officer to serve and protect. Leaking sensitive and confidential information is an abuse of the trust the public hold in us. Victims of crime need to have complete confidence that they will get the support and help of the police and be treated with sensitivity and confidentiality."

(JP/MH)

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