Leeds: West Yorkshire Police PC guilty of illegal computer searches

Shahid is due to be sentenced next month

A West Yorkshire Police PC has been found guilty of making unauthorised searches on police computer systems.

PC Sanya Shahid, 31, based in Leeds, pleaded guilty to the charges under section one of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday.

A West Yorkshire Police investigation found she made unlawful searches on various police databases to access information without a policing purpose.

Shahid, of Nile Street, Rochdale, is due to be sentenced on 27 March.

Her behaviour "fell well below what is expected of a police officer," according to the director of operations at the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) Steve Noonan.

"Actions like this have no place in policing," he added.

"Her lack of judgement and professionalism was a serious breach of the trust placed in the police by the public."

West Yorkshire Police's anti-corruption unit found the officer carried out unauthorised searches on the police computer system to access records in October 2020 without a legitimate reason for doing so.

Shahid was arrested in May 2021 as part of a nine-month investigation launched in February 2021.

She had previously denied three counts of causing a computer to perform a function with the intent to secure or enable unauthorised access at an earlier hearing in September 2022.

Shahid should face a gross misconduct hearing when criminal proceedings against her concluded, the IOPC said.

The officer remains suspended by West Yorkshire Police.