Wolverhampton detective suspended after being charged with data protection offences

Sep 5 2010 by Jeanette Oldham, Sunday Mercury

A MIDLAND detective has been suspended after being charged with TEN data protection and computer misuse offences.

Detective Constable Balwinder Basran, 47, is due to appear at Cannock Magistrates Court in Staffordshire on Wednesday.

The West Midlands Police officer first appeared at the same court last Friday. He was charged with three counts of obtaining or disclosing personal data and seven counts of causing a computer to perform a function to secure or enable unauthorised access to a programme, or data.

Det Con Basran, of Wolverhampton, has not yet entered a plea.

At last Friday’s hearing, his lawyer applied for reporting restrictions to be imposed on court proceedings but his request was refused.

The officer, who was arrested by his own force on May 19, was granted conditional bail by the court.

Det Con Basran, who was based at Thornhill Road police station in Birmingham, has been suspended from his job.

The force said in a statement: “A 47-year-old officer was charged with three Data Protection Act offences and seven Computer Misuse Act offences.