A former paralegal has been sentenced to six years imprisonment after she admitted accessing private records while working for the Crown Prosecution Service.

Rachel Simpson, 39, previously admitted two counts of misconduct in public office and 30 counts of unauthorised access of computer systems in relation to offences which took place between 2016 and 2020.

Simpson, from Newport and a paralegal officer at the CPS Wales office, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court this month. She was arrested in 2020 after an investigation into the use of encrypted phones by criminals revealed her involvement. 

Cardiff Crown Court

Simpson was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court this month

Source: Alamy

On two occasions, sensitive material she had taken from the CPS was passed on to organised criminals.

Andrew Penhale, chief crown prosecutor, said: ‘As a CPS employee, Rachel Simpson was in a position of trust and was expected to only access sensitive and confidential information when necessary for her job. She regularly accessed material when there was no business need and, on two occasions, the sensitive material she obtained was passed on to organised criminals.

‘The CPS expects all staff to act with integrity in handling data held in its systems and Simpson fell well below these standards. We will not hesitate to prosecute individuals who engage in unlawful conduct. We also constantly review our digital systems to ensure they are as secure as possible.’

The CPS said action is ‘already underway’ to ensure that lessons are learned from ‘the issues identified in this case’ and that ‘appropriate changes’ are made.

 

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