Two former police call handlers, Jessica Fitzhugh and Ellie-Mae Doherty, have been jailed after accessing and sharing confidential information with their criminal boyfriends while working for Derbyshire Constabulary.
Ellie-Mae Doherty, 22, from Ripley, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and was sentenced to 11 months in prison. Jessica Fitzhugh, 22, from Belper, admitted unauthorised access to computer material and received a four-month jail term. The sentences were handed down at Leicester Crown Court following a two-day hearing that concluded on Thursday.
The court heard that Doherty passed on details about an incident to Robbie Braddock, with whom she was in a relationship, in December 2023. She also accessed details about a search warrant and shared information with the same man in March 2024. Fitzhugh looked up incidents in spring 2024, which the judge described as "idle curiosity."
Judge Timothy Spencer KC called the women "naive" and said they had "flaunted the clear training, the clear direction and the clear guidelines" given by Derbyshire Police. Both women had undergone vetting and signed declarations stating they had no contacts involved in criminal activities.
The charges were authorised on 23 March following an investigation led by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Derbyshire Police had previously confirmed both workers were suspended.