Woman 'misused police database'

A special constable "maliciously" used confidential police records to check personal data on workmates she held a grudge against, a court has been told.

Geraldine Tabor was a Dorset Police Special Constable when she allegedly checked the backgrounds of fellow sales assistants at a filling station.

She accessed the force's database of criminal records, the jury heard.

Ms Tabor, 51, from Ferndown, in Dorset, has pleaded not guilty to two charges under the Data Protection Act.

Was she acting on police business or was she just being a nosy parker? Iain Ross, prosecuting

She denies knowingly or recklessly obtaining information containing personal data without the consent of the data controller on 4 November, 2003, and 4 February, 2004.

It is alleged she accessed the Dorset Police's database to check up on her co-worker, Paul Martin.

Ms Tabor told the court she had thought Mr Martin was stealing fuel from the garage, but did not report her suspicions to police.

"I was being accused of policing while I was at work so therefore I didn't combine my two jobs," she said.

She also checked up on another sales assistant, Karen Selby, on 4 February, 2004, after she had wrongly accused Ms Selby of stealing two bags of chocolate oranges worth £122 from the garage in West Moors, the court heard.

'Malicious threat'

Ms Tabor said: "I felt that she had threatened me with threatening behaviour and I just felt if I was to get a hiding, what sort of a hiding would I get - to prepare myself."

Prosecuting Iain Ross said: "We say by checking up on fellow employees for no good reason that could be deemed as being malicious.

"Was she acting on police business or was she just being a nosy parker?"

The trial was adjourned until Wednesday.