A police officer has been found guilty of gross misconduct after confidential files about paedophiles and their victims were found dumped in a recycling bin outside his home.
Sgt Martin Skirving-Chehab, of Cleveland Police, took two carrier bags of paperwork home before his mother-in-law accidentally threw them out.
The papers contained details about 55 sex offenders.
A police misconduct panel gave him a final written warning.
It found the officer failed to sort through the carrier bags, risk assess the material or store it in a secure place.
Chairwoman Jayne Salt said by leaving the material under his kitchen table he increased the risk of the highly sensitive material being disclosed.
Also, Mr Skirving-Chehab’s work book was found in a skip outside his home in Hartlepool by a dog walker in June 2018 who then contacted The Sun newspaper.
The 42-year-old has been a police officer for 15 years and his work has been officially commended twice.
He had taken the bags of files home after being asked to remove them from the Sex Offenders’ Management Unit (Somu).
The hearing, at the Grand Hotel, Hartlepool, was told he then received a WhatsApp message from his pregnant wife to say her mother had put the documents in the recycling bin outside.
Representing Cleveland Police, Joan Smith had earlier told the panel: “One can only imagine the potential risk to property and life if the information fell into the hands of vigilantes.”
This article is tagged “Ohio” and the title says “OH: …”, but it is about Cleveland, England, not Ohio.
Still, it is interesting that over in England they are worried about the possibility of vigilantism should information about the “sex offenders” over there become public. Over here, they post that information for all to see, thereby encouraging vigilantes.
Here in the good ole USA. Vigilantism is encouraged. The SORA monsters would never admit it, but they love it when we get harassed or even attacked. They love it when we’re homeless with no place to go. Murderers and other violent criminals can go off into the wind but not us. We need the never ending watchful eye of the community keeping tabs on us. The drooling pitchfork and torch mob has won.
At least England has a little of common sense.
CR,
Yea certain sensitive information can a will be used for nefarious acts. In the U.S. we’ve had laws both state and fed which are specifically written to sequester it. Agency information itself in WI was protected in part by statutes (ex. 175.45(6)) which punished ” unauthorized ” disclosure by time and jail by agents. Many of those kinds of law were on the books nationwide were altered in many states just the two years prior to OMNIBUS94. Young master Wetterling was kidnapped in 1989 so it is reasonable to assume the impetus on intra agency information (data) sharing was well underway as an extension of NCMEC(R.Reagan) and it mission as a national clearing house of information. Therefore it is also safe to presume many AGs & Judges were aware of the coming changes in the disposition of agency information. The point is sequestration laws were established law and were deemed necessary for public safety but overcome by those more interested in something else.