Policewoman admits data charges

Anna Wong is currently suspended from Lothian and Borders Police

A policewoman has pled guilty to illegally accessing information about dozens of Chinese people on Lothian and Borders Police computers.

Constable Anna Wong admitted 28 charges of breaching the Data Protection Act at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday.

She was not present in court and the case was continued until next week.

Wong, 26, is currently suspended from the force and faces a misconduct hearing over the offences, which took place between March 2006 and June 2007.

Defence solicitor David O'Hagan told the court: "She's a policewoman and she accessed the information, simply accessed but didn't pass the information on.

"There was a number of Chinese individuals and she accessed it for her own information."

Sheriff Elizabeth Jarvie QC said: "That's shocking".

Wong, originally from Hong Kong but now living in Edinburgh, faced 54 charges but the Crown accepted her plea to the lesser amount.

Mr O'Hagan asked for Wong to be fined.