Officer sold secrets to gangsters

Merseyside Police say O'Leary's behaviour was 'despicable'

A policeman who sold surveillance secrets to gangsters has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Former Merseyside officer Gregory O'Leary, 39, gained information from force computers which was then sold to the underworld for £1,000 a time.

O'Leary, who drove a BMW with a personal number plate, admitted six counts of misconduct in office at an earlier Liverpool Crown Court hearing.

Mr Justice Openshaw said other officers would be "outraged by his treachery".

The court heard O'Leary, who joined the force in 1985, could have made up to £80,000 from selling information.

He put police officers' lives at risk, which is a betrayal of the worst kind Deputy Chief Constable Jon Murphy Merseyside Police

The court was told O'Leary was caught after Merseyside Police received information that retired Pc Mark Mitchell, who mentored O'Leary when he first joined the force, was involved in criminal activity.

Mitchell, of Litherland, was sentenced to two years and 11 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to corrupt.

His home was bugged and it emerged that O'Leary was passing information to him gleaned from the force's computers, which would then be sold on to criminals for £1,000 a time.

O'Leary, of Allerton, Liverpool, was caught on CCTV surveillance visiting Mitchell, asking whether someone who had asked for information was going to pay for it.

O'Leary was captured on camera visiting Mitchell to discuss deals

He was also recorded getting information from police computers at night.

The intelligence from the bugging related to underworld figures involved in large-scale class A drug dealing, firearms, counterfeit currency and organised football violence.

Deputy Chief Constable Jon Murphy, of Merseyside Police, said: "Greg O'Leary's criminal behaviour was despicable and completely unacceptable.

"In some cases he put police officers' lives at risk, which is a betrayal of the worst kind.

"His actions have tainted the good reputation of the force and he has let down his former colleagues."