Secret police information that allowed one-eyed killer Dale Cregan to evade capture was leaked by a 999 call handler, a court head yesterday.
Kathryn Smith, 25, a civilian with Greater Manchester Police, allegedly used computer systems at force HQ to check developments in the Cregan man-hunt.
Smith allegedly gave the information to her boyfriend Sean Booth, 31, who lived on the same street as the killer’s mother Anita Cregan, 56, and passed the information on to her.
Nicholas Clarke QC told the court that Smith ‘habitually’ monitored events by looking at information and maps on police computers that she was not supposed to access.
“Whenever the system took her away to deal with a call from a different area, she would almost immediately drag it back to Droylsden,” Mr Clarke told the court.
“She concentrated on the high level of police activity surrounding the manhunt for Dale Cregan and the Sutton Drive area where his family live. Smith’s role does not permit her to act this way.”
Smith denies looking for and disclosing confidential information while Booth and Cregan both deny aiding and abetting her commit the offence
Anita Cregan claimed she had ‘inside information’ after she confronted a ‘grass’ who lived on her street who was identified by information passed to her, the court heard.
The neighbour, who had called police about a suspicious car belonging to Cregan’s sister Kelly, was grilled for six hours by members of the Cregan family about what he said and has since been told by police that his life may be in danger.
Smith allegedly told Booth the house number that the call was made from which allowed Anita Cregan to identify the ‘grass’, the jury heard.
The court heard that Cregan was later recorded on a bugging device in her home saying: “I can not believe there is a fucking grass in my street.”
Mr Clarke continued: “The caller was confronted by Anita Cregan and will probably have been identified to Dale Cregan. This has put him at significant risk of reprisals and so he has received a threat-to-life warning.
“You can imagine how he will feel, having telephoned in confidence only to be confronted by her for calling the police.”
The jury were shown screen-shots of Smith’s computer taken on the evening of September 4 last year.
The screen-shots showed how Smith viewed details of a call taken by police which gave details of a possible sighting of Dale Cregan on Manchester Road in Droylsden.
The computer was used to access the locations of all police officers, cars and vans in the area as well as maps showing armed response patrols in the vicinity.
Following Smith’s arrest on September 8 of last year she said that she had accessed the information out of ‘curiosity’ and claimed that this was common behaviour at work.
Mr Clarke added: “This was grave misconduct in relation to Smith’s duty owed to the public, in flagrant breach of all instructions given directly to her, with serious consequences for the public and, in particular, the neighbour.”
Dale Cregan was jailed for life on June 13 for the brutal murders of policewomen PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes.
He also shot and killed father and son Mark and David Short on May 25 last year.
The trial continues today.
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