Police jailed for leaks to suspected criminals

Times Online and PA News

Two police officers who fed information about high-profile investigations to suspected criminals were today handed jail sentences.

Charles Fletcher, a former trainee detective with Nottinghamshire Police, and Philip Parr, 40, a former police constable with the same force, admitted providing details about inquiries to suspected criminals.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that Fletcher, 25, supplied details of police investigations - including the murder of Marian Bates, the Nottingham jeweller who was shot dead - for a two-and-a-half-year period between December 2002 and June last year.

In return for the information, he received discounts on designer suits from a Nottingham fashion store.

Fletcher, who admitted conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, was jailed for seven years. Parr was sentenced to 12 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

Passing sentence, Judge John Saunders QC said that Fletcher’s activities put the lives of vital witnesses and informants at risk, damaged the morale of the Nottinghamshire police force and undermined the trust placed in the police by members of the public. “Corrupt police officers do untold damage to the criminal justice system,” he said.

The court heard that Fletcher, who joined the police force in 1999, sought out specific information at the request of Jason Grocock, 33, the manager of Limey’s clothing store in Nottingham, who paid the officer by supplying him with designer clothing.

Grocock, who subsequently forwarded the information on to suspected criminals, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after admitting the same offences as Fletcher.

Included in the leaks were details about the investigation into the murder of Mrs Bates, who was shot dead during a raid on her jewellery shop in 2003, and the double murder of Joan and John Stirland, who were shot at their Lincolnshire bungalow in August 2004 in revenge for a killing by their son.

Fortunately, the court was told, the information Fletcher gleaned from his colleagues about the two cases was of “limited significance”.

“Because Fletcher was not involved in those inquiries and because, for at least part of the Stirland inquiry, he was under surveillance by brother officers, the nature of the information he was able to pass on was of limited significance,” Judge Saunders said.

“But he was prepared to pass on what he could find and advise as to the evidential value of what the police had found.”

Paul Taylor, for the prosecution, said the officer had also revealed the identities of suspects, witnesses and victims involved in other cases, as well as conducting intelligence checks on suspected criminals at their request.

He then faxed the information - which included details of surveillance, vehicles associated with them and information from anonymous informants - to the suspects.

“All of this could afford significant assistance to the criminals to evade capture,” Judge Saunders said. “In effect, people suspected of serious crime infiltrated the police force that was inquiring into their activities through DC Fletcher. This could obviously assist not only in preventing or delaying the apprehension of criminals, but assist them in carrying out crimes.

“It must also have encouraged them to carry on committing crimes knowing that they could have access to any police intelligence about them and thereby evade arrest.”

Mr Taylor said Parr, whose nickname was “Phil the Bill”, was involved in the corruption to a much lesser extent, supplying confidential information on just two occasions.

His corruption was found to be linked to that of his colleague, although much of the information was passed back to the same criminals via two other sources – Javade Rashid, and David Barrett, both 40.

Barrett was sentenced to three years for conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office, while Rashid was jailed for six months for the same offence. Also involved in the corruption was Darren Peters, 38, who was sentenced to four years, and a seventh man, who cannot be named, who was imprisoned for three years.