Hertfordshire PCSO accused of leaking to press
A 26-year-old Hertfordshire police community support officer, accused of leaking information about an alleged attempted murder, has gone on trial.
Emma Smiter denies misconduct in a public office, unlawfully disclosing personal data and trying to pervert the course of justice.
Ms Smiter, of Welwyn Garden City, appeared before Basildon Crown Court.
She is accused of illegally revealing information gleaned from Hertfordshire Police computers.
Prosecutor Richard Scott told a trial at Basildon Crown Court that Ms Smiter, a former local newspaper journalist, leaked the information to a news agency.
Information she passed on about an inquiry into an allegation of attempted murder appeared in reports in The Sun and Daily Mirror newspapers, said Mr Scott.
Details about a charity box at a police station in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, being "£12 short" also appeared in a newspaper and caused Hertfordshire Police "embarrassment", he added.
The trial continues and is expected to last 10 days.