Jury finds Bolaños guilty of data breach linked to McGrail Inquiry; RGP reacts to verdict

The ex police officer on trial for a data breach linked to the McGrail inquiry has been found guilty by a jury. 

Following the verdict, the judge gave 38 year old Antony Bolaños a £1000 fine and 60 days to pay. 

He had previously elected to have his case heard in the Supreme Court. 

Closing the case, the judge said that in his evidence, Antony Bolaños had admitted receiving a wanted notice from a  former RGP colleague back in 2022. He said that he shared it with his lawyer James Levy soon after, and that he felt he was entitled to do so.

Judge Matthew Happold said it was for the jury to decide whether they thought it was reasonable for him to believe this.

He said it was the defendant’s testimony “that he was being persecuted for having revealed evidence of wrongdoing and corruption in the force” and that he was seeking to protect himself in sharing the wanted notice with his lawyer.

He said Bolaños had not wanted to comment on the contents of a telephone call he had with the Hassans senior partner before sharing the file, adding “of course, we’ve not heard from Mr Levy”. 

The judge asked the jury to consider all the evidence, saying there was “no place for speculation”. 

After deliberating for less than an hour, they had reached their decision. 

Having been directed to issue a verdict of not guilty on count one, they found Bolaños guilty on the remaining two charges.

Before releasing the nine jurors, Judge Matthew Happold thanked them for their “important decision” and for having done their duty. 

He then went straight to sentencing, issuing a £500 fine on each count. The Guilty verdict comes after  what has been a contentious trial.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Christian Rocca KC was acting for the Crown.

Hassan's lawyer Shane Danino represented the defence.

Reacting to the verdict, the police Commissioner said that trust in police officers is essential and anyone who fails to uphold the high values and standards expected in policing will be dealt with robustly.

Owain Richards pointed out that police officers often have access to personal information and it is both a public expectation and a legal requirement that such information will be treated in the strictest confidence, and only used for legitimate policing purposes.

He went on to say that today’s outcome sends a clear message from the judiciary about the expectations it has about the accessing and handling of personal and sensitive data particularly information held within police systems.