Restricted information about woman who gave evidence in murder trial of Darcy Austin-Bruce was illegally obtained, court told

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Police detention officers leaked the identity of an anonymous witness in a murder trial after hacking into the intelligence database, a court has heard.

Rupert Ross, 34, and Leon De St Aubin, 38, were both sentenced to life imprisonment for the “vicious execution” of Darcy Austin-Bruce on 1 May 2009.

Aubin’s girlfriend Lydia Lauro, 33, and Ross’s mother Diana Lank, 60, allegedly discovered the identity of a protected witness in the case.

Lauro got a job as a civilian worker at Hammersmith police station two months after the pair were convicted in 2011.

She illegally accessed the intelligence system at the station with the help of fellow Metropolitan police detention officer Hayden Cheremeh, it is claimed.

Cheremeh, 35, a former police community support officer, is standing trial alongside Lank and Lauro for conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office at the Old Bailey.

Prosecutor Mark Heywood QC said: “This case concerns a persistent, determined and ultimately successful attempt by these three defendants to gain access to and penetrate the digital criminal intelligence system of the Metropolitan police service for their own purposes.

“The purpose was to get details in order to identify a witness, someone who gave evidence in the prosecution for murder, which took place in this building in 2011 during the trial and afterwards.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Austin-Bruce was shot dead outside HMP Wandsworth in 2009. Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/Getty Images

“The offence of murder for which they were sentenced involved the killing of a vicious execution on 1 May 2009. At the time it occurred it was notorious.”

Austin-Bruce was shot dead outside HMP Wandsworth at about 2.30pm.

Lauro allegedly used Cheremeh’s log-in to get into the Met’s intelligence system.

They obtained restricted information about a young woman who had given evidence from behind a screen, using a voice-altering device and under a pseudonym.

This information was then “passed on to others ... who should not have had access to it”, the court was told.

“These two defendants abused the very great trust placed in them,” Heywood said.

“A trust which all of us have in those people employed in that kind of role to deal properly with full regard to confidentiality.”

He added: “The reason why they did this is the people convicted in the trial were close to them, very close indeed.”

Lank, Lauro and Cheremeh are jointly charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office between 1 November 2011 and 22 May 2013. They all deny the charges.

The trial continues.