Police workers who got drivers off speeding fines jailed for Christmas

Two police workers have been jailed after getting drivers off speeding fines in Staffordshire.

Samantha Halden-Evans, 36, and Jonathan Hill, 47, were working as speed camera viewing operatives for Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership when the offences happened.Stafford Crown Court heard they failed to process data so that people would avoid speeding fines or prosecution between May 2019 and October 2020.The conspiracy came to light after a burglary in Cheshire in 2020 when detectives examined a mobile phone and found messages, which were traced back to Halden-Evans.Evidence was found that Halden-Evans had been deleting offence details so that people, many of whom were known to herself or to Hill, would avoid speeding penalties.

The court heard she would also pass on details about whether speed cameras in Staffordshire were active or not.The charges against Halden-Evans, from Cheadle, also alleged that on various dates between August 2017 and February 2021 she had accessed and disclosed data on police computer systems without authorisation.

She was arrested in February 2021.Hill, of Newcastle, was arrested in April 2021 and evidence showed that he had asked Halden-Evans to check number plates to see if the drivers had been caught speeding at specific locations.Halden-Evans was sentenced to four years and two months in prison today after she admitted conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office and two counts of conspiring to pervert the course of justice following a trial in October.And Hill was sentenced to one year and six months behind bars after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office in January.

Meanwhile, two members of the public were also sentenced for their part in the crimes. Wayne Riley - who was in a relationship with Halden-Evans - admitted conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in October.

The 41-year-old, from Cheadle, received a sentence of two years and eight month.And Nikki Baker, 35, from Werrington, was sentenced to 10 months after she pleaded guilty to conspiring to pervert the course of justice ahead of the trial.Speaking after the case, Steve Noonan, director of operations for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which investigated the case, said: “The offences committed by these two individuals amounted to very serious corruption.

"In addition to the deletion of speeding offences, evidence showed that Hill was asking Halden-Evans to check whether people had been caught by cameras speeding on certain roads.

"She was also passing on details about whether speed cameras in Staffordshire were active or not, and there were other data breaches including one relating to a murder investigation.

"Such behaviour is a betrayal of the public’s trust and undermines confidence in policing.“This investigation is testament to how seriously the IOPC, law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system takes this kind of behaviour and I am grateful to all those involved in ensuring justice was served today.”Halden-Evans resigned from Staffordshire Police in August 2021 prior to a disciplinary hearing and Hill was dismissed from the force following a disciplinary hearing in December 2021.The sentences come after an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) directed investigation carried out by Staffordshire Police’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

The IOPC decided the matter should be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised the charges.Deputy Chief Constable Jon Roy, of Staffordshire Police, said: “The vast majority of our officers and staff conduct themselves professionally and work tirelessly to protect the public.“We expect the highest levels of honesty and integrity from all of our officers and staff and anyone who falls below these standards will be held to account."Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Ben Adams is co-chair of the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership.

He said: “It is absolutely vital that the public can have confidence in everyone engaged in Police activity, and in the activity of the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership.

“Keeping our roads safe for the communities of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent is too important to be undermined by the actions of a few individuals.“Whether those individuals are officers or staff makes no difference. Everyone within the organisation should be held to the very highest standards, and I welcome today’s outcome.”