Lancashire Police officer and two staff members appear at Manchester Crown Court charged with gross misconduct

A Lancashire Police officer and his wife have been charged with misconduct in a public office after sharing images and body-worn footage from two grisly death scenes.

Response officer Cameron Hanson, 33, his civilian support worker wife Kirstie Hanson, 33, and police staff member Charlotte Riley, 30, are all charged with offences including unauthorised access to police computers and disclosing sensitive information.

The charges relate to incidents between January 2019 and December 2021 and all three appeared at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday (January 3).

Cameron Hanson, of Packington Brook, Oswaldtwistle, Accrington, is charged with seven counts of gross misconduct in office.

These include sending copies of body-worn footage to his partner on January 24, 2021, and sending photos to others taken at the scene of a death on February 2, 2021.

He is further charged with making an audio recording of a suspect which he sent to another on June 10, 2021, sharing copies of body-worn footage with an injured suspect between August 20, 2021, and September 3, 2021, sharing a photo of an injury of a child’s bottom with another on September 9, 2021, sending a photo of a scene to another on October 27, 2021 and sharing body-worn footage of a suspicious death between October 28, 2021 and October 31, 2021.

Hanson did not have legal representation in court on Wednesday and did not enter pleas to any of the charges. He will be required to do so at a later hearing once he has secured legal representation. But he previously pleaded guilty to two charges of unauthorised access to a computer.

His wife Kirstie Hanson, 33, of the same address, pleaded guilty to 11 offences of gross misconduct in a public office between 2019 and 2021.

The charges are eight offences of misconduct in a public office, including sharing images taken from a scene of sudden death; sharing body worn footage and images of injuries to a suspect; sharing images taken from the scene of a suspicious death; and disclosing sensitive information to a member of her family.

The other counts are three offences of conspiring to secure unauthorised access to computer material on computers belonging to Lancashire Police. She had previously pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ Court to knowingly or recklessly obtaining personal data without consent.

Riley, of Carholme Avenue, Burnley, faces six charges of misconduct in public office including three counts of conspiring to secure unauthorised access to computer material on July 4, 2019, July 15, 2019, and September 7 2019. She pleaded guilty to four charges but denies two others.

All three were granted unconditional bail to next appear for a review hearing on February 19 when further dates for sentencing will be fixed and also a possible trial date set for Riley.

A pre-sentence report for Kirstie Hanson was ordered to be prepared and the court heard all options including custodial sentences will remain open. It is understood that Cameron and Kirstie Hanson resigned while under suspension, while Charlotte Riley is currently suspended by Lancashire Police.

Lancashire Police were approached for comment.